GLOUCESTERSHIRE Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) Chris Nelson is calling on Home Secretary Suella Braverman to scrap the need for all new officers to have degrees.

Mr Nelson is one of 16 PCCs in England to have signed a letter sent to Ms Braverman which argues that the academic requirement is causing them to miss out on potentially good recruits.

The PCC has been repeatedly criticised since his election in 2021 for his expected failure to deliver on a manifesto commitment to recruit 300 new police officers and 150 special constables by the end of his four-year term.

The group of PCCs claim that rookie officers are spending so much time studying under the all-graduate system, which was introduced in 2020, that up to 10 per cent of their officers are spending more time in the classroom than on the frontline.

They are calling for more flexibility so that forces can still use the “traditional” training route under which new recruits are on the street after just 20 weeks’ initial training and are not required to spend so much time studying.

Mr. Nelson said: “As Police and Crime Commissioners, we support efforts to improve the training offered to police officers, staff and volunteers being led by the College of Policing.

“And in a changing world, with many more complex cases and evolving technology, we need learning and development programmes that keep pace.

“However, there is a danger that in prioritising an academic qualification, we are missing out on potentially good people with equally valid life experience.

“People from the military, officers who have worked as special constables or PCSOs and ethnic minorities and older people without a degree seeking a career change.

“Before I was elected, I made a promise to expand the Constabulary and I don’t want to be restricted by the inflexibility of the recruitment system”.

Mr Nelson admitted to a police and crime panel earlier this year that he would be “jolly lucky” to achieve his target of 300 more officers in the county by the end of his term in office.

He told councillors back in February that the constabulary would recruit 400 extra personnel, but only around 200 would be full time.

He said he had to change his priorities after a visit by Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services found the force was ‘inadequate’ in five areas of policing, including how it investigates crime.

He was again criticised in the summer when, under questioning from councillors, it emerged just 50 of the 200 full time staff promised were police officers.