Non-degree entry route to be retained

11 November 2022

Derbyshire Police Federation chair Tony Wetton has welcomed the Home Secretary’s decision to axe the requirement for all new recruits to study for a degree.

Suella Braverman said she would ensure a non-degree entry route into policing was kept open to continue delivering “officers of the highest calibre”.

The move comes after a backlash from chief constables, police and crime commissioners and Police Federation leaders who all warned the degree requirement was having a serious impact on recruitment options.

Tony said: “We have said all along that you don’t need a degree to be a good police officer. Some of the most effective officers I have known in my career have come into policing from other jobs and careers without a degree level qualification, done their initial police training and gone on to learn their craft on the streets alongside more experienced officers.

“Policing is a highly skilled profession and we want officers’ skills to be formally recognised as a qualification and degree level is probably about right given the complexity of the profession but it is about striking the right balance.”

Since last year, recruits have been required to have a degree or to join as an apprentice while they earn a qualification but police chiefs and PCCs, including Derbyshire’s Angelique Foster, warned that up to 10 per cent of officers were studying rather than fighting crime on the frontlines.

The College of Policing stood by the change and insisted it gave officers recognition and accreditation as professionals.

But Ms Braverman told a conference for police chiefs that she had asked the college to consider options for a new non-degree entry route, alongside the process for recruits who took higher education.

She said: “I have asked the college to build on their work by considering options for a new non-degree entry route, to deliver officers of the highest calibre, which will complement the existing framework.

“In the meantime, the current transitional non degree entry route will be kept open.

“Our police force must be open to those who do not have a degree or want one.

“And I will take the scissors to any red tape that gets in your way.”