Have your say on the future direction of the College

The new chair of the College of Policing board, Nick Herbert (Lord Herbert of South Downs), has – almost a decade on from the establishment of the professional body for the police in England and Wales – launched a fundamental review of the College’s work.

While we have made considerable progress in recent years in strengthening our connection with day-to-day policing, more needs to be done to ensure that the College meets its potential and that its work and role within policing is valued across the service.

The review will:

• conduct a fundamental assessment of the College, its role, effectiveness and how it operates alongside other organisations in the policing landscape
• ensure that, as the professional body for policing, the College is highly valued by every section of policing, from frontline officers and staff to chief constables and police and crime commissioners

The detailed review will consider the College’s role in all aspects of policing, from how well the College supports professional development, shares good practice, and sets standards through to how useful people working on the front line find the College’s services.

The review will also look at the relationship between the College and other policing organisations and how well equipped the College is to support the police service to deal with future challenges.

The College’s role in promoting and supporting leadership at all levels of policing, leading improvements in equality and diversity in policing and the impact of technology on policing are just some of the key issues which will be considered as part of the review.

This is a critical time in policing with the demands and pressures on the service only increasing during the pandemic. I believe the time is right to look at the work that the College does, as well as the place that it occupies in the policing landscape. It’s important that we explore how effective the College is in supporting a police service whose mission has been extended and capability stretched over the last 10 years. 

I’m keen that we listen to people from across policing, regardless of their rank, grade or role, to find what they want from their College of Policing and help us identify the areas where we need to improve. I’m committed to ensuring that the College stands proudly in the policing landscape to support the service in its mission to protect the public and keep people safe.

Lord Herbert, chair

Bernie O'Reilly, interim CEO of the College, said: 'We’ve been making some real progress in improving our connection with the front line through supporting policing across critical areas such as the COVID-19 pandemic and bringing an additional 20,000 officers into the service.

'We know there’s more to do – this review is crucial to help us understand where the service feels we could improve and to help us to meet the needs of our frontline colleagues in a way that they feel supported with the right tools, knowledge and guidance they need and deserve to keep people safe.'

As part of this review the College is issuing a call for evidence, which will be open until 30 April. This will give everyone with an interest in policing a chance to give their views on what they want to see from the College of Policing in the future.

The College of Policing has an integral role to play in supporting our police officers to carry out their vital work protecting our communities.

As plans to recruit 20,000 more police officers continue at pace, I welcome this review, which will enhance support to our hardworking officers and help the College recognise its full potential as the professional body for policing.

Policing Minister Kit Malthouse

The College is contacting a number of policing organisations – including the National Police Chiefs’ Council, the Police Superintendents’ Association and the Police Federation – to ask for their views. A survey will also seek views from officers and staff working on the front line.

'This root and branch review is a great opportunity to make the College of Policing more meaningful and relevant to rank and file officers, providing them with the training, guidance and support they deserve,' said John Apter, the national chair of the Police Federation of England and Wales. 

'The review must, therefore, be bold and brave to ensure the College is fit for purpose. The Police Federation will play an active part, feeding into the review to ensure that the views of our members are heard and acted upon.'

The College will use the feedback from across policing to inform a series of recommendations which will be outlined in a report later this summer.