Policing minister gets tour of online assessment process recruiting officers during pandemic
Today policing minister Kit Malthouse took a tour of the online assessment process created by the College of Policing to keep police recruitment on track during the coronavirus pandemic.
Introduced on 27 April, the online assessment was rolled out at pace to forces with the most urgent recruitment needs. To date, the online assessment is being used by 32 forces, with over 12,000 candidates having been invited to undergo the process.
The introduction of an online recruitment solution has contributed to recent Home Office figures which show more than 4,000 officers have been recruited into policing, reaching 22% of the government target of 20,000 over the next three years.
Kit Malthouse, policing minister, said:
“Thanks to digital assessment centres, nobody has to wait to apply for their dream job in policing.
“More than 12,000 people have already been invited to use them in their bid to make their difference and be a force for all in their communities.
“In spite of the coronavirus pandemic, the innovation and drive of policing has ensured our campaign to recruit 20,000 additional officers continues going strong.”
Chief Constable Mike Cunningham, CEO at the College of Policing, said:
“The College of Policing has worked at pace to deliver an online assessment process so that forces continue to recruit at this unprecedented time.
“The online assessment process is part of the work the College of Policing is doing to support forces and officers throughout their career.
“This process, coupled with the continued commitment of officers and policing staff across the country will mean that police forces can continue to recruit and keep the public safe”.
The online assessment system will remain in place for the remainder of 2020 to ensure consistency and fairness to candidates throughout the pandemic. Initially introduced as an interim solution, the College of Policing will look at the evaluation and evidence in order to recommend a suitable post-COVID19 process, potentially combining the best of face-to-face and online.
The online process enables effective assessment of the required competencies and values, through use of assessments specifically designed for online use. The exercises test candidates’ responses to policing-relevant situations, which enables assessors to evaluate how they would perform in a real policing role, as well as giving candidates insight into the job of a police officer.
In addition to completing a Situational Judgement Test, and a Briefing exercise, which test how candidates respond to policing scenarios, candidates must complete a competency based interview and a written exercise, with the force processing post-assessment requirements, such as vetting, further assessment and medical and fitness testing. This process reflects the current government guidelines by not placing candidates into unnecessary face-to-face situations or requiring them to travel.