Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

Personnel Today

Register
Log in
Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+

PoliceLatest NewsLearning & developmentSenior management developmentTraining methods

Police assessors fail to test officers’ ability to cope with counter terrorism and violent crime

by Louisa Peacock 29 Jun 2007
by Louisa Peacock 29 Jun 2007

Police officers being assessed for promotion do not have to have the skills to deal with counter terrorism and violent crime, it has emerged.

Research by Reed Consulting has found a significant disparity between the major challenges faced by senior police officers and the degree to which promotion assessments identify candidates best suited to meet them.

  • 73% of police assessment professionals in the UK cited counter terrorism as a major issue, but only 20% said their senior officer promotion assessments included an element to identify candidates best suited to meet this challenge.
  • 67% said violent crime was a major challenge, but only 20% addressed this in their promotion board assessments.

Reed Consulting head of assessments Julie Lowe, a former head of assessment at the Metropolitan Police, said: “To identify the officers most suitable for promotion, senior police officers and HR professionals must work closely together to ensure that the complexity of these roles is fully reflected in the assessment process.”

Testing specialism

But the Met Police has said it would be “ludicrous” to identify additional tests on top of core skills and competencies already testing officers at senior levels, purely to see if they are suited to dealing with a specialist area.

A Met spokesman told Personnel Today: “Officers are assessed on key skills and competencies throughout their career, which then deem them fit to take on any policing issues at their level [including counter terrorism or violence].

Sign up to our weekly round-up of HR news and guidance

Receive the Personnel Today Direct e-newsletter every Wednesday

OptOut
This field is for validation purposes and should be left unchanged.

“It would be an absolutely monumental waste of money for police to draw up tests for each individual based on the specialism they will be looking after. Drawing up a specific test to see if an officer is suited to terrorism, for example, is a ludicrous assumption to make.”

Reed Consulting is working with a number of forces to develop promotion assessments that genuinely support the development of a modern police force, following a Knowledge Network foundation to enable forces to exchange best practice and engagement with the Association of Chief Police Officers.

Louisa Peacock

previous post
Unions to take whatever action is necessary after International Labour Organization expresses concern about the Jersey government’s Employment Relations Law
next post
BBC Children’s Education Unit members of Bectu and National Union of Journalists vote to strike following redundancy notices

You may also like

Performance management is broken: how can we rebuild?

11 Jul 2025

Gregg Wallace case: don’t be too hasty to...

11 Jul 2025

‘Replace sick notes with gym’, Streeting tells GPs

11 Jul 2025

Workers with second jobs at an all-time high

11 Jul 2025

How using data can transform return-to-office mandates

11 Jul 2025

Ministers loosen fire and rehire proposals in Employment...

10 Jul 2025

£188k tribunal award for director sacked after cardiac...

10 Jul 2025

It’s no secret – parity in the workplace...

10 Jul 2025

Firms’ salary secrecy means ‘they lose out on...

10 Jul 2025

Court of Appeal rules that Ryanair agency pilot...

9 Jul 2025

  • Empower and engage for the future: A revolution in talent development (webinar) WEBINAR | As organisations strive...Read more
  • Empowering working parents and productivity during the summer holidays SPONSORED | Businesses play a...Read more
  • AI is here. Your workforce should be ready. SPONSORED | From content creation...Read more

Personnel Today Jobs
 

Search Jobs

PERSONNEL TODAY

About us
Contact us
Browse all HR topics
Email newsletters
Content feeds
Cookies policy
Privacy policy
Terms and conditions

JOBS

Personnel Today Jobs
Post a job
Why advertise with us?

EVENTS & PRODUCTS

The Personnel Today Awards
The RAD Awards
Employee Benefits
Forum for Expatriate Management
OHW+
Whatmedia

ADVERTISING & PR

Advertising opportunities
Features list 2025

  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • Instagram
  • Linkedin


© 2011 - 2025 DVV Media International Ltd

Personnel Today
  • Home
    • All PT content
  • Email sign-up
  • Topics
    • HR Practice
    • Employee relations
    • Learning & training
    • Pay & benefits
    • Wellbeing
    • Recruitment & retention
    • HR strategy
    • HR Tech
    • The HR profession
    • Global
    • All HR topics
  • Legal
    • Case law
    • Commentary
    • Flexible working
    • Legal timetable
    • Maternity & paternity
    • Shared parental leave
    • Redundancy
    • TUPE
    • Disciplinary and grievances
    • Employer’s guides
  • AWARDS
    • Personnel Today Awards
    • The RAD Awards
  • Jobs
    • Find a job
    • Jobs by email
    • Careers advice
    • Post a job
  • Brightmine
    • Learn more
    • Products
    • Free trial
    • Request a quote
  • Webinars
  • Advertise
  • OHW+