http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-20998800

I'd drop that yearly medical when you're considering how desperate you are...

No. They will only become fatter and more dependent on cars to get around. The fall in numbers is probably a symptom in the lack of respect that the public has for the police. The pay is not sufficient to get a home and is only being squeezed so prospects are poor. Most police authorities have sold off their police accommodation and without that perk you will have better prospects outside the force. The reputation of the police is pretty dire particularly in London with the corruption of Met officers by the press, and the racist elements that screw up murder enquiries galore.

I'm thinking about all the potential 'failures' in the medicals of people you've spent hundreds of thousands training, people with extensive local knowledge. Also, why now, after all these decades when it doesn't seem to have been a problem?

I am all for flexibility, they could be stuck in a gym to lose the pounds. Cheaper than firing them. Pay for gym memberships.

Haven't they also had a hiring freeze for a fair few years now. That's naturally going to curtail the presence of younger members.

Government departments are facing the same problem, the average age of staff in Whitehall departments (DWP, HMRC etc) is increasing rapidly.

The problem has largely been created by a public-sector-wide recruitment freeze in place since 2010.

The government seriously needs to consider the long-term impact of this, it's quickly getting to the point where skills and experience will be lost as people retire and there are no new recruits in post in order to learn from experienced members of staff before they leave or retire.

Even a three year freeze should not have that impact yet. It will be significant if it continues. They need to recruit new officers and weed out the bad apples just as fast to make spaces for the new recruits and without impacting overall numbers.

It depends on the turnover of younger officers. Three years is actually quite a long time. Turnover will be very much faster than with older folks who have more invested in their career and might find it difficult changing paths now.

I would imagine the turnover of younger officers is higher plus they might find the pay lousy for the lousy hours and risks.


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http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-21027176

I doubt that's going to improve matters.

I suspect that what people will do is join the police as the last resort and leave as soon as they can for a better paid job.


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Or just look for promotion?

To be honest if you're joining the Police for the salary, you're probably joining for all the wrong reasons.

Yes but people still need a salary and slashing the starting pay does not help. As for promotion there will always be a shortage of promotion opportunities otherwise the policing costs rocket. It is a matter of dead mens shoes when it comes to promotion. As for the wrong people we already have plenty of that within the force already with it full of thugs in the Met, who are tempted to sell a story to the press to make up their income.

The tactic would appear to me to be not join the plod at 18, go do a degree in something vaguely relevant then start in their graduate recruitment scheme. Starting pay on that is significantly higher than entry by standard recruitment.

Or spend a couple of years as a part time plod/PCSO or special constable and also get a boost in starting pay.