PCC adds pressure to calls to keep non-degree entry route for new officers

Angelique Foster said she has written to Home Secretary Suella Braverman asking for the IPLDP (Initial Police Learning and Development Programme) route for new police officers, which enables people to join the force without a prior degree education, to be permanently re-instated.

She has already joined other PCCs nationally in signing a joint letter to the Home Secretary calling for a more flexible approach to recruitment allowing police forces the choice of having IPLDP+ and the new Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) courses available to new entrants.

This, they argue, would provide forces with a better opportunity to recruit a wider range of people, including those with military backgrounds or serving Specials and police community support officers (PCSOs). It would also speed up recruitment, they say.

The College of Policing says the IPLDP training programme, in place since 2006, has not kept pace with the demands of frontline policing and is being phased out completely in favour of the degree-level entry route. The final deadline for ending the IPLDP is expected to be in March next year.

Derbyshire Constabulary was one of the first forces to adopt the new entry routes into policing.

Welcoming Derbyshire’s latest cohort of newly-trained police officers, Ms Foster said: “Derbyshire residents have been clear that they want to see more officers on the streets, tackling the issues and crimes that affect them most.

“I do not believe the use of IPLDP alongside other degree-linked routes impairs our ability to deliver a professional policing service, in fact it arguably ensures policing better reflects the communities it serves.

“Throughout 2022/23 Derbyshire Constabulary has made use of the IPLDP scheme, as well as other entry route schemes, to give as many candidates as possible the opportunity to become a police officer and to help keep their communities safe.

“This has made the force’s recruitment drive very successful and both the chief constable and I agree that we have seen a varied cohort coming forward this time round.

“By retaining this scheme, it will help deliver on this commitment much more quickly by utilising the experience and skills of a much wider number of potential applicants and also of current PCSOs or Special Constables who may wish to join the force full time.”

Derbyshire Constabulary has recently re-introduced the IPLDP route for new police officers to support recruitment as part of the national Uplift programme.

Ms Foster said she “fully supported the approach”, saying it provided an entry-point for people who did not hold or want to hold a degree but would nevertheless possess the right skills and aptitude to serve their communities.

As part of her Police and Crime Plan, the PCC has prioritised ‘strong local policing’ and believes a key part of its delivery is ensuring the constabulary recruits and retains police officers from the widest pool of backgrounds and experience.