Promotion changes for officers take effect

Officers who want to be promoted from constable to sergeant, or sergeant to inspector, will now undergo the National Police Promotion Framework (NPPF).

Until now, in the majority of forces officers sat two exams, OSPRE® I and OSPRE® II, before becoming eligible for promotion, but amendments to The Police (Promotion) (Amendment) Regulations 2015, which came into effect today (April 1), mean they will now undergo the NPPF.

A number of forces have been using the NPFF after trials were launched a number of years ago but further implementation has been objected to by the Police Federation of England and Wales.

The College said forces have been kept up to date on the changes and have attended workshops and presentations, including presentations on how NPPF applies to the High Potential Development Scheme and Fast Track officers.

George Couch, the College`s lead for NPPF, said: “The NPPF has been introduced because in the past, officers who had completed OSPRE® I and II were only ever qualified for promotion but there was always a requirement for local selection before officers were actually promoted.

“This led to far more officers being qualified than could be promoted, officers had no certainty on their career development and skills were lost whilst waiting for promotion.”

He added: “There was a need to have a system whereby officers could have some certainty as to their future, be assessed against a common set of standards as part of the role whilst allowing forces to select the best candidates.”

More information on NPPF is available at www.college.police.uk.