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Interview: ‘Some of the best cops I worked with didn’t have a degree’

Supt Sukesh Verma has some interesting ideas about recruitment in the uplift. University educated with a degree in politics he highlights the mix of people required to make a police force work really effectively. His father was a superintendent and when Sukesh left university he joined Notts on an accelerated… The police degree system will not move the dial on BAME recruitment according to Nottinghamshire Superintendent Sukesh Verma. He tells Gary Mason why...

Federation warns of funding gap over Specials membership

The Police Federation says it is unable to absorb the cost of representing thousands of Specials who carry out unpaid work for forces across the country. Dave Bamber, the Fed’s lead for recruitment, training and development, told Police Oracle: “Money is the only issue. We can’t offer everything for free. It’s… Plans to enable Special Constables to join the Police Federation have hit a stumbling block over who pays for their membership....

Mentoring: a career pathfinder

Throughout his long policing career Ricky Fields has sat on promotion boards on both sides of the table as an applicant and a board member. “I don’t think any process is infallible,” he says. “But you turn up on the day and hopefully give your best performance and you need… A former Staffordshire superintendent will be one of the mentors on a new scheme aimed at helping officers from under-represented groups achieve their potential in the service. He tells Gary Mason how mentoring influenced his own career ...

Interview: Chief Constable Nick Adderley's bottom-up approach

Nick Adderley is a chief constable who seems to invoke faith and morale among the ranks, and is known for his straight-talking and down-to-earth attitude which appears to bridge the gap between management and frontline officers. He says the welfare of the workforce is his number one priority. “If we… Northamptonshire's Chief Constable, Nick Adderley, has just completed his first two years in the job and tells Police Oracle why he believes a certain type of leadership is important to workforce morale...

New approach needed to find leaders says College of Policing

Modernisation to working practice has sped up during the COVID-19 crisis and that must now extend into supporting and finding future leaders. The College’s head, Mike Cunningham told the Police Superintendents’ Association annual conference this would also be crucial in improving diversity among senior officers. HM Inspectorate has raised concerns… A new national approach is needed to identify leaders across the ranks according to the College of Policing....