Questions Over Government's Proposed Policing Licence to Practise

11 March 2026

A proposed ‘licence to practise’ will mean more bureaucracy for already overstretched police officers, the Chair of Kent Police Federation has said, as it emerged that 80% of Federation members oppose the Government proposals.

The licence to practise is based on the system for nurses and doctors, in which professional licences are revalidated every three to five years after medics demonstrate they have refreshed their skills and completed necessary training.

It is a central proposal in Home Secretary Shabana Mahmood’s white paper to “raise standards and promote professional development”.

The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) asked 3,261 members for their views, and two thirds (65%) said they strongly opposed the licences; 15% said they “somewhat” opposed them; 10% supported the plan; and the remainder were neutral or did not express a view.

Under the plans, officers would need to pass interviews on their professional development, qualifications, activities and achievements. Those who failed would be given support, such as mentoring, but successive failures would result in the loss of their licence.

Neil Mennie, Chair of Kent Police Federation, said: “It is very hard to understand why exactly officers are required to have a licence. It’s arguable that everybody already has one, in the form of a warrant card.

“Policing is already far and away the most scrutinised and criticised profession, so the idea that this will ‘set standards and expectations’ is bizarre. Professional standards are already in place, indeed on many occasions they are disproportionately applied.

“This also involves additional training and policies around standards and expectations, but we already have training. It’s hard to see the benefit of more time being invested in training when we already have an overstretched and unhappy profession.

“I suspect this will lead to additional bureaucracy for officers, who could do with the Government reducing it. I am certain this will do nothing to help morale for the majority of hard-working officers doing their best every shift.”