Graduate police recruits are ‘sadly lacking’ in life experience, chief constable Nick Adderley says 

Police recruits joining after university are not prepared to work nights or weekends and are ‘sadly lacking’ in life experience, a chief constable has said.

Graduates won’t commit to working unsociable hours and are unwilling to face the violence that the job entails, Nick Adderley of Northamptonshire Constabulary told Police Oracle.

Chief Constable Adderley made the comments whilst voicing his ‘strong feelings’ against the College of Policing’s plans to require all recruits to gain a degree before joining the force – rather than the traditional training programme. 

The police chief said he believes the ‘very, very young workforce coming through’ who believe they are ‘invincible’ will cause a ‘perfect storm’ when combined with the growing anti-police violence forces are now facing.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley of Northamptonshire Constabulary, who says ‘very, very young’ police recruits are ‘lacking’ in life experience

He told Police Oracle how some new recruits in Northamptonshire had been so ‘taken aback by the role’ and the violence the force deals with that they had walked out of self-defence training. 

Some told the force they hadn’t realised that working weekends and nights was part of the role, the Police Oracle reports.

Chief Constable Adderley said that the recruits have ‘no life experience’ and he clearly tells them that the training ‘is not an extension of sixth form college. This is a really serious business’. 

In order to continue to provide a full service experienced officers are being paired with trainees in Northamptonshire.

Police at a protest in Newcastle (stock image). From June 23 the only route into policing will be through degree programmes

However the chief claims this has already put pressure on the force, with more officers off sick with injuries and mental health issues.

Already 40 per cent of the Northamptonshire police force have served for fewer than four years.

He added that many recent recruits will be in for a ‘real shock’ when nightlife opens up again following coronavirus.

From June 23 the only route into policing will be through degree programmes, previously recruits could train without needing higher education.

Chief Constable Adderley is urging the College of Policing to reconsider the plans that are being introduced next month in the hope graduates will bring a diverse range of skills to policing, The Times reports. 

In response to the Chief Constable’s comments Julie Mead, Northamptonshire and Leicester’s Chief Inspector, tweeted: ‘Some really valid points. I joined really young at the age of 18 (clearly not a graduate!) and as a young joiner it was hard. 

‘With hindsight I would have defo still joined but waited until I was older and had experience more of life first.’ (sic)