Those wishing to join the police must hold a level 3 qualification (or higher) which is equivalent to two A Levels or possess a policing qualification.

Lincolnshire Police, like many other forces, is pushing to take advantage of the uplift to diversify its workforce. 

“The difficulty we have with that when trying to recruit from migrant communities is we know from fact based research that the areas of the highest social deprivation, which are predominately along the east coast, including Boston and Spalding, people do not have the right level of qualification to apply to join police,” said DI Lee St Quinton. “It’s very difficult, that's a key barrier for us.”

Another barrier they have identified is around language skills. He said in the Boston Spalding area, and Lincolnshire in general, there is a lower degree of fluency of English amongst Eastern European migrants. “We know that people don't speak English well enough to join the police service,” he said.

“So whilst we have a lot of migrants in the area, whilst they are becoming settled now, which is nice, which has improved that language skill, we're very aware of the academic research out there that tells us it is a key barrier for us. People don't have the qualifications and people don't have the quality of spoken English that were asked.

“So we've got to work and engage with the community to try and get the best people who have that qualification and can speak English to the right level. And support them through that process we're doing that through a number of positive action measures that we've got in place.”

The former chief constable of Lincolnshire, Bill Skelly, was vehemently opposed to the Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) which means all recruits will already have or work towards a degree in order to join the service. 

The PEQF scheme has still not been implemented in Lincolnshire although Mr Skelly's successor Chris Haward took over in January this year.

DI St Quinton said: “We've got a new chief now and we'll see where that takes us I guess. But certainly, getting people from minority groups with the right qualifications is absolutely a struggle for us.”

Back in 2016 the College of Policing announced that all officers will need be educated to a degree level from 2020. 

A college spokesperson said: “The minimum entry requirements for joining the police service in England and Wales are set out in Police Regulations, which is government legislation, and have been in place since 2014. The College of Policing has not changed, or sought to change, the minimum entry requirements, we have created a comprehensive learning programme for new entrants once they have successfully met the minimum national entry requirements.

“The ongoing recruitment of an additional 20,000 police officers gives us a generational opportunity to increase the diversity of our work force and the College of Policing and Police Uplift Programme are doing everything possible to ensure this target is met.”

They added they would not comment on the PEQF as a potential barrier to diversity as Lincolnshire was not a PEQF force. They also did not comment on whether they had carried out any of their own research on the impact on PEQF on BAME recruitment. 

On Tuesday (2 March) Policing Minister Kit Malthouse wrote to police leaders calling on them to step up their efforts to increase diversity through the uplift programme.

Mr Malthouse said: “It is vital that our police forces can draw upon the best talent from the communities they serve. That is why attracting more officers from a wide range of ethnic and socio-economic backgrounds is a core ambition in the Government’s unprecedented recruitment drive – and while progress is being made, we cannot be complacent or accept a slowing of pace.

“I am writing to police leaders today to ensure their recruitment appeals to and is open to all, while attracting the highest quality of talent.”