The Home Office has announced that all police officers in England and Wales will be required to hold a license to continue their service.
Under a phased scheme, similar to those for legal and medical professionals, officers will need to demonstrate proficiency in areas such as addressing violence against women and girls, or risk termination.
Concerns have been raised by senior policing figures that the program could be “expensive” and “time consuming,” potentially duplicating existing vetting procedures.
In a separate announcement Friday, the government revealed proposed measures granting ministers greater authority to dismiss chief constables and intervene in underperforming forces.
These initiatives form part of a comprehensive set of reforms anticipated from Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood, who has pledged to lead the most significant policing overhaul in recent decades.
Officers will be required to renew their “licence to practise” throughout their careers by staying abreast of the latest methodologies and guidelines, with training implemented in stages.
The standardized program aims to provide greater clarity and consistency across all 43 police forces in England and Wales.
“Every police officer needs to remain match fit to protect their communities. As crime evolves, we expect police to evolve more quickly,” stated Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones.
“The licence to practise will equip every officer with the skills and capabilities to do the job – whether new to the force or a policing veteran.”
However, Matt Cane, general secretary of the Metropolitan Police Federation, expressed concerns that the licence could become “an expensive, time-consuming, tick-box exercise.”
He noted existing inadequacies in training and highlighted that officers already possess warrant cards and undergo vetting processes.
The prior week saw the announcement of new powers for the home secretary to dismiss police chiefs.
On Friday, additional statutory powers were extended to ministers, enabling them to mandate the “retirement, resignation, or suspension” of underperforming police chief constables.
Currently, only police and crime commissioners hold this authority.
Ministers will also have the capacity to deploy “specialist teams” to improve forces struggling with crime solving rates or police response times.
The government has stated that new policing targets will be introduced and made publicly accessible.
“It is essential that the people can determine what they expect from their forces,” Mahmood stated.
This follows Mahmood’s statement last week that she had lost confidence in West Midlands Police’s chief constable Craig Guildford after Israeli football fans were banned from a match against Aston Villa. He subsequently retired from the force.
Sir Andy Cooke, who leads His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS), welcomed the proposals. The body independently assesses the effectiveness and efficiency of police forces.
“Where a police force is failing the public, there must be a clear, fair system to make sure concerns are acted upon. The inspectorate is a vital part of that system,” he said.
“These reforms will help make sure under-performance is more quickly addressed whilst supporting forces to respond to our recommendations more effectively, so that every community gets the policing it deserves.”
On Monday, as part of her reforms plan, the home secretary will pledge to “significantly” cut the number of forces from its current level of 43, and tell them to focus on serious and organised crime.
Reacting to news of the cuts, the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “Policing’s current structure has entrenched a postcode lottery in what the public see but also how officers are led, supported and treated.
“Fewer forces doesn’t guarantee more or better policing for communities. Skills, capabilities and equipment need significant investment if the public and officers are going to see reform deliver in the real world.”
That body’s largest branch, the Metropolitan Police Federation, also voiced its concerns about what is being proposed, saying: “We all want the highest standards in policing but we fear this will be an expensive, time-consuming, tick-box exercise and become bureaucratic and burdensome” on a service it says is “already stretched”.
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The measure is part of the government’s strategy to tackle violence against women and girls in England.