By stewartb

On recruitment, Police Scotland submitted a paper to the Scottish Police Authority dated 24 February 2024: ‘Recruitment and Protected Characteristic Impact Report’ (https://www.spa.police.uk/spa-media/pn0n522u/item-6-1-recruitment-and-protected-characteristic-impact-report.pdf )

It summarises police officer intakes across the period 2021/22 and 2022/23 up to 18 September: between intake dates of 18 June 2021 to 18 September 2023 there were a total of 1,924 new officer recruits.

Police Scotland uses three metrics to monitor its recruitment ‘pipeline’:

• application levels
• attrition rates across the selection process at its various stages – from ‘shortlisting’, fitness/PSET (the Police Scotland Entrance Test); ‘assessment day’; vetting refusals; withdrawals/other rejections; medical deferral
• attrition across protected characteristics – as part of its commitment to diversity.

On application levels, between the year 2019/20 and 3 October 2023, monthly average recruitment rates each year have ranged from a high of 468 per month in 2020/21 (with no advertising) to a low of just 206 per month in 2021/22 and 226 per month in Q2 and Q3 of 2023.

On attrition, there has been a significant rate increase across the reporting period. The document draws this comparison:

• ‘For May 2022 1,000 applicants with the above (i.e. the calculated and tabulated) attrition rates would result in 345 appointable candidates.
• ‘For April 2023, 1,000 applicants with the above attrition rates would result in 160 appointable candidates.’

It explains that the most noticeable increases in attrition are within the stages of ‘Assessment Day’, ‘Vetting’ and ‘Medical’ – ‘which supports the position that recruitment teams are experiencing a drop in candidate standard.’

The document goes on: ‘Against the above challenging backdrop, it is however reassuring to evidence a clear and non-negotiable maintenance of recruitment standards.’

It notes that: ‘VETTING FAILS HAVE RISEN FROM AROUND 2-5% IN 2019-2021 TO AROUND 18-24% IN THE LEAD UP TO THE MAY 2023 POLICE OFFICER INTAKE.’ (my emphasis)

The report concludes that: ‘there is a significant increase in the number of candidates which are required to be sourced in order to achieve the probationer intake numbers. This is due to an overall upward trend of candidates who are failing assessment, medicals and vetting.’

Might a public service journalist use this kind of insight to provide context and perspective for a ‘story’ on falling police numbers? Danger of diluting negativity?