Editor’s Note: In PoliceOne “First Person” essays, our Members and Columnists candidly share their own unique view of the world. This is a platform from which individual officers can share their own personal insights on issues confronting cops today, as well as opinions, observations, and advice on living life behind the thin blue line. This week’s essay comes from PoliceOne Member W. Hock Hochheim, a retired Texas police officer who currently teaches hand, stick, knife, and gun tactics in eight allied countries each year. Do you want to share your own perspective with other P1 Members? Send us an e-mail with your story.
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By W. Hock Hochheim
I have had the distinct honor and pleasure of teaching the police of the United Kingdom — once every two years for the last ten years — either at the Hendon Police College (their main Metropolitan Police academy) or their Special Courses Academy at Grave’s End. Or at times, in other academies such as in Belfast, Ireland. I teach various hand, stick, knife, and yes, even gun subjects with simulated ammo to veteran officers. I never teach recruits, however we were always surrounded by them in the gyms, halls and grounds.
My trip last December 2010 to Hendon, was quite different. No cadets were there in the hallowed halls or gyms, or marching on the parking lots. And the hundreds of instructors were not busy tearing the hair from their heads running the usual, tight schedule. When I asked why, one instructor replied, “Those days are over. Hiring and recruit training have changed dramatically.”
Another added, “We had 600 Officer Safety Trainers (defensive tactics) across the Met Police doing all the yearly training for officers and staff. We will have now have only 70 full-time DT trainers.”
Those days are over? I quizzed them more. The answers surprised me, and upon hearing them I thought it might be interesting for police officers in the United States, Canada, as well as other countries to learn the newest England police hiring and training policies. They are somewhat radical.
The U.K. is now battling budgetary problems. Like other government departments, the Home Office — which funds the police — could be facing cuts of about 25 percent. As a result, police hiring and recruit training as we know it, and as they knew it, have dramatically changed. The BBC reports that as of November, 2010, almost every police force in England and Wales has stopped recruiting officers. A survey of police recruitment websites and hotlines showed that 42 of the 43 police forces had “shut their doors” to new recruits.
“There have been a lot of changes to training over the years,” a veteran instructor reports. “When I joined the Met 23 years ago, every new officer took part in an 18-week residential (live-in) course. The length of this course had increased to 20 weeks and then decreased to 16 weeks as the years past. However, accommodation and food were provided to all recruits free of charge. Then about 10 years ago, the new recruits began being charged for their accommodation and food. About two years ago new recruits where no longer allowed to stay at onsite accommodations. Instead, they were required to travel to Hendon from home each day. Now we have no full-time recruits, just specials.”
“Just Specials? What does that mean?”
We in the United States are use to the age-old process of vetting a new applicant, accepting and hiring him and shipping him off to the police academy on our agency’s dollar. Then when the cadet graduates, he or she becomes a “rookie” police officer, serving full-time with regular pay and benefits for a probationary period, usually one year. As an example, previously, vetted and hired police recruits in the Metropolitan Police are paid a salary of at least £23,000 during their first two years and receive 25 weeks of foundation training “free” and as part of their job.
“The Specials” are what we here call Reserves. Nicknamed “hobby bobbies” by their full-time, paid counterparts, they are defined as unpaid, trained “volunteers who provide a valuable link between the police and the local community.” They have the same police powers as the “regulars.” They work in their free time on a variety of police duties. A Home Office statistical bulletin on police service strength shows that as of September 2010 there were 16,772 of these special constables in England and Wales. They assist the approximately 144,000 police officers across the 43 forces of England and Wales. These Specials will now become the sole backbone of the future, full time, paid Met police force. How will that work?
The new hiring plan means that recruits would be vetted and hired through the Special Constable program. This unpaid, vetting time period lasts for 18 months worth of reserve work before they may apply for a full time, paid position. The vetting/hiring process will go as follows:
• A person applies to the Special Constabulary. The Specials receive 21 days training from the force. This is provided free and covers 4 days of officer safety training plus 17 days of legislation and form filling.
• Following this, they are posted to a Borough Operational Command Unit (B/OCU) what where called Divisions in the past.
• Once assigned there, they will patrol under direct supervision until gaining their independent patrol status.
• All their time is unpaid however, they do receive free travel on all tubes and buses in the capitol though — this costs a normal Londoner about £3500 a year.
So, their initial training is provided free to them. If after gaining their independent patrol status and they wish to apply to be a full-time, paid constable, they will now need to finance their own college police course. These courses are run at community colleges, not at official police premises. These courses are between five and ten days in length and cost around £500 each.
Next, the candidate may finally apply to the force as a full time officer. When successful they will attend a truncated, initial police course commuting to and from the Hendon Police College, Peel Centre. This takes about 18 months.
British skeptics complain that few people who wish to work as full time officers will be able to survive the rigors of this voluntary service for 18 months, working a minimum of 16 hours a month for free, plus pay for their own schooling. “What about military vets? Minorities? Others?” they ask. “How can people donate so much time for no pay?” And this time in service still does not guarantee a full time position. Can an applicant sustain such a goal for 18 unpaid months?
These budget cuts have dramatically affected the Met Police training staff and all of the United Kingdom. If you remember your old police academy days, you will recall the early lessons on Sir Robert Peel and the establishment of modern police in England, and its impressive influence on policing in the united States and therefore the world. We have followed England’s model before. Will we all be forced by pending budgetary disasters to consider this elongated, voluntary reserve officer route also when hiring police officers?
About the Author
W. Hock Hochheim is a retired Texas police officer who currently teaches hand, stick, knife, and gun tactics in eight allied countries each year. For more information check out www.HocksCQC.com.
