College of Policing review must make sure it asks officers what they want

THE College of Policing needs to listen to officers because too many of them don’t know what it does for them, Hampshire Police Federation has said.

The College is undergoing a major review of its work following criticism that it’s just not relevant to police officers out on the frontline.

The PFEW will be part of the overhaul and has promised to put forward ‘bold and brave’ reforms.

PFEW Chair John Apter wants to see the college become more meaningful and positively impact the day-to-day role of officers.

Police officers in Hampshire would struggle to recall what the College of Policing has done for them, Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoe Wakefield said.

“I think the College needs to listen to police officers and listen to what police officers need,” she said.

“There are a few things they’ve produced that have been useful, such as a flexible working guide for managers, which I’ve downloaded, printed off, taken to meetings with me numerous times.

“That was a really, really useful document. But officers struggle to think, ‘what has the College of Policing done for me? How has it improved policing?'”

Issues such as the postponement of Inspector and Sergeant’s exams due to technical difficulties haven’t helped the College’s reputation in recent years.

“I think there’s probably an element now where the College has been around for a while, officers haven’t seen anything from it, and so they may not even wish to engage with the review,” Zoe added.

“Things like the debacle over the Inspector’s exam last year. It’s things like that that make people think, ‘the college is supposedly here to help me and support me, and it’s just made things a hell of a lot worse’.

“In the Federation, we say, ‘this is what your Federation does for you. This is what your Federation can do for you’. That’s the kind of tactic they need to take.

“At the moment, I think it’s something that’s seen as for senior managers and not for police officers”.