The Police Federation has criticised government plans to introduce a mandatory “licence to practise” for police officers, warning that reforms aimed at raising standards will fail unless workloads, pay and training are properly addressed.
Under proposals set to be published in a Home Office white paper on Monday, all police officers in England and Wales would be required to hold and regularly renew a licence to practise throughout their careers. The scheme would apply across all 43 police forces.
The Home Office said the move would help ensure officers “stay at the top of their game” by keeping skills up to date, including problem solving and the use of new technology to tackle crime.
The licence would introduce a single, standardised framework for training, supervision and professional development. It would set clear expectations in areas such as violence against women and girls, neighbourhood policing and leadership. Officers who repeatedly fail to show they “have the skills needed to fight crime” could ultimately be dismissed.
The crime and policing minister, Sarah Jones, said the reforms were necessary as policing challenges change.
“Every police officer needs to remain match-fit to protect their communities. As crime evolves, we expect police to evolve more quickly,” she said.
“The licence to practise will equip every officer with the skills and capabilities to do the job – whether new to the force or a policing veteran.”
However, the Police Federation of England and Wales said the proposals risked adding pressure to an already stretched workforce.
“Everyone wants professional policing, but that requires pay, training, time and support,” the federation said.
“Officers are routinely pulled off mandatory training to plug gaps, work rest days to stay afloat, and carry workloads no one would call safe.
“We will await the detail of the white paper but these issues need to be fixed.”
Former Bedfordshire police and crime commissioner Festus Akinbusoye also questioned the need for the policy, arguing that policing faces more urgent problems.
“I am genuinely astonished that, of all the crises facing British policing such as collapsing recruitment, appalling retention, failure to get the basics right, deep-rooted cultural problems, and a serious leadership deficit – the Home Office has decided that the answer lies in forcing police officers to hold a licence to practise,” he told the Daily Mail.
The licensing proposal forms part of what ministers describe as the biggest overhaul of policing in England and Wales for two centuries. Other measures include new national targets for crime reduction, emergency call handling and victim satisfaction, with underperforming forces potentially named publicly.
Some senior officers have expressed concern that national targets and league tables could distort priorities. One police chief warned that “people worry about their position in league tables as opposed to the quality of service”, adding: “What gets measured gets done, and what does not get measured does not get done.”
Another chief said: “You can hit the target and miss the point.”
The government has also announced a £7m graduate recruitment programme aimed at attracting students into neighbourhood policing roles.
The reforms will be formally unveiled by the home secretary, Shabana Mahmood, when the white paper is published on Monday.