‘Officers need Protected Learning Time’

6 May 2022

Protected Learning Time (PLT) should be made accessible to all police officers, according to Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Geoff Bardell.

Geoff said he fully backed Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) calls for Forces to ensure officers were given the proper training they require either within rank or in preparation for promotion.

He said formal adoption of PLT by the National Police Chiefs’ Council and College of Policing would end controversial calls for the introduction of a licence to practise.

“I don’t think it is unreasonable to expect PLT to be made available to every officer for their professional development,” said Geoff.

“But it is unreasonable, and totally unacceptable, to expect our members to fulfill their training commitments and complete their assessments in their own time or on their rest days.

“They should be allocated the time to complete their training during working hours and the Force should really make it a priority to develop a culture of learning by including training as part of the regular workflow.

“This would certainly promote wellbeing and a good work-life balance but it would also benefit any 0fficers who might neglect their training because they see it as something unrelated to work.

“We are also aware that student officers are finding it hard to fit in their studies while they are also learning on the job so PLT is particularly important for them.”

The Federation wants to see PLT encouraged across all ranks as an investment in motivating and developing competent and professional officers.

It said this would highlight areas that required more training while addressing any deficiencies identified in the officer’s performance reviews. Training and development programmes would also help officers discover areas in which they could use additional educational opportunities and support.

The Federation believes PLT would in turn promote uniformity of work processes, increase productivity and performance, therefore providing a better workplace environment.

National learning and development lead Dave Bamber, who has been directly involved in developing this guidance, said: “To genuinely invest in our people, we must ensure training and development is provided by every force.

“PLT for student officer training should be guaranteed for frontline officers, to ensure they’re equipped to handle scenarios professionally and appropriately when delivering our vital service to the public.

“Learning time is essential for young in-service officers and it is grossly unfair to expect them to perform their duties with the pressure of learning outside of their working hours affecting their quality of life.

“It would also be remiss not to mention that PLT is part of the funding model for student officers.”