Vinny Wagjiani on country's detective crisis

12 June 2017

Q and A with Vinny Wagjiani from Surrey Police Federation 

What is going on with police detective numbers in the country?

One of the key issues that has been highlighted at this year's Police Federation of England and Wales Conference, and certainly something that I am aware of, is the crisis facing detectives. Numbers are dwindling, recruitment is really tough and retention is really tough because of the high workloads that officers have to endure.

Is anything being done about this?

The College of Policing is moving in the right direction to try and professionalise the area. But what is emerging is that the skill set and the hours that are required for the officers to work, certainly at the detective level, probably isn’t being reflected in the amount they are being paid.

How would you fix this?

Perhaps there is something that the Government, police forces or the PCC can do, or even the College, to try and identify a second tier of skill sets so that when you are qualified in these, you get an additional bonus. This is what happens in America where the role holds slightly more kudos. People really strive to become an American detective - there is a real demand for the role. And it is respected because American detectives get the extra payments.