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Metropolitan Police Service changes its approach to the way officers are promoted

The Times has recently reported on the changes that are taking place within the Metropolitan Police Service in relation the way officers are being promoted.

Historically, officers seeking promotion to sergeant and inspector had to sit a national exam followed by an assessment day that involved answering questions based on a series of 5-minute long scenarios. Chief Superintendent Charles Phelps comments “However, these lacked credibility with officers because they didn’t reflect the reality of policing. Senior officers felt that the approach was missing some of our best people, and the feeling was that it was putting off some very good police officers who were strong practically but not confident of passing the scenario section”.

The Metropolitan Police Service, along with six other forces, has started trialling workplace assessments which mean that new inspectors and sergeants who pass the exam are temporarily promoted for a year and then assessed continuously over the following 12 months. There are currently over 700 people in the Met alone who are on temporary promotion to sergeant for the purpose of workplace assessment. To support the assessments the Met has trained over 70 part- and full-time assessors and a number of internal verifiers, each of which have volunteered for the role, to carry out workplace assessments. These people are supported by external verifiers to ensure consistency.

Some of the benefits:

• Whilst workplace assessments are more expensive, time consuming and bureaucratic it has provided the Met with more temporary sergeants who are being continually supported throughout the assessment period.
• The assessors are more able to make informed decisions about whether or not someone can do the job.
• It is easier to identify those people who are not going to reach the standards required and return them to their old rank until they are ready to progress.
• People are able to revert to their old rank if they feel that the role is not right for them or that they are not ready to progress.
• It can provide a springboard to move their career in another direction such as CID or another specialist unit
• Those that are promoted permanently after a year have much more credibility because they have already proved and been assessed on their capabilities.
• Feedback from the participants towards this change of approach to ‘management training’ has so far been very positive.

For more information about how we may be able to help you with the design of workplace assessments please contact us on 02380 695929.