Police and police staff promotion

Report: 13
Date: 20 January 2005
By: Commissioner

Summary

This report outlines the processes for promotion for police officers and police staff in the MPS. All processes for police officers are centrally managed but involve local line management recommendation. Processes for chief inspector and above also have a central assessment process. They are in general held on an annual basis.

Promotion for police staff is based on individuals applying for roles of a higher band and can be either centrally managed or purely locally based depending on the requirement.

All processes are monitored and subject to strict rules to ensure fairness, validity and reliability.

A. Recommendation

That members note the content of the report.

B. Supporting information

Promotion processes for police officers

Promotion to sergeant and inspector

1. The promotion assessment policies and Standard Operating Procedures for police officers are currently being revised and will be found in the Policy and Standard Operating Procedures to be published by Human Resources (HR) Directorate when approved.

2. There are currently two types of processes. The first, for promotion to sergeant and inspector requires the officer to pass a two-stage national qualifying examination, which comprises a knowledge examination and a seven-page assessment centre known as OSPRE. They are then eligible to apply for promotion in the MPS through a locally driven application where senior managers who know the officer best make the recommendation. All applications are then forwarded to HR Directorate, where a review process ensures the applications have been managed fairly, and there is consistency across the MPS. Diversity is monitored through this process.

3. Those officers who are successful in their promotion application are then usually posted to another OCU unless there is a specific business need for them to remain. For these processes the following applies.

How selection panels, when used, are selected

4. The local selection (recommending) panel comprises of a local senior officer, a HR manager and a superintendent from another business unit. This should ensure local policing knowledge, HR expertise and independence.

What training is given to selection panel members, i.e. is it compulsory.

5. Although comprehensive instructions are provided, no training is provided specifically for this stage but HR managers should either be qualified or working towards a professional qualification. The selection panel has access to the application form, PDR, discipline records and attendance management records.

What are the requirements for promotion for police officers, i.e. what role do exams/qualifications play, are they competency based, how are they related to the National Competency Framework

6. The OSPRE examinations are designed to support the Integrated Competency Framework and all assessments are against the competencies required for the rank as described in the Integrated Competency Framework.

How are opportunities advertised, i.e. Notices/external advertising

7. All processes are advertised with full instructions and a standard application form through the intranet and Police Notices.

What monitoring takes place, including of those who make applications but whose application is not supported

8. All applications, whether receiving a recommendation or not, must be forwarded to HR Directorate for monitoring purposes. All those not recommended will be reviewed by a central review panel to ensure the correct processes have been followed.

What support is provided

9. Full instructions, giving guidance on providing evidence, is supplied to candidate and line managers. The Career Management and Retention Unit (CMRU) will also, with Progression and Selection be providing briefings on development towards promotion.

How ‘cloning’ is avoided

10. The assessment is against competencies and with clear instructions that recommendations must be made on evidence against those competencies. Independence is built in and processes are monitored. There are also several avenues of appeal if individuals feel they have been unfairly treated.

Independent assessment

11. For local panels, the superintendent is independent. When the process is monitored centrally, all the review panels and appeal groups are staffed by independent police officers and staff from business units. Staff associations are involved with this and IAG members have been invited to observe such processes.

A summary of proposed changes, including any thoughts on the recent proposals Building Communities, Beating Crime

12. The MPS is one of currently seven forces trailing a new approach to the assessment centre element of OSPRE. Instead of the officer being required to undertake an assessment centre, those who pass the knowledge examination can then apply to be temporary Sergeant or Inspector. When posted, they will be assessed in the workplace against National Occupational Standards, which are part of the Integrated Competency Framework. The chosen standards are primarily focused on managerial skills, with some police specific elements required for that rank. All the assessors are trained to a recognised national standard (A1) and there will be a full internal and external verification process. The trial is being overseen by HMIC, CENTREX and an independent evaluation organisation. This supports proposals within the ‘Building Communities, Beating Crime’ Policing Plan.

Promotion to chief inspector through to chief superintendent

13. The second type of process is for promotion to chief inspector through to chief superintendent. For these processes, there are always more applicants than places and therefore a further filtering process is always needed. The current process involves two elements. One is a structured interview where officers are probed on the evidence supplied in the application form. The second involves a case study where candidates are required to give a presentation outlining their actions that they are then questioned on. The two assessments are completely separate with different ratings and different assessors.

How selection panels, when used, are selected

14. All panels have two assessors who should not know the candidate. The assessors must be of at least the target rank, have been in that rank for at least one year and have a current PDR showing they are competent. Competent police staff of an equivalent band are also involved in these processes.

What training is given to selection panel members, i.e. is it compulsory

15. All assessors receive a course in assessment managed currently by PA Consulting. They are tested throughout the course, have knowledge and practical tests and are observed by an occupational psychologist during their first assessments. If the assessor is not competent, they will receive further training before being re-assessed.

What are the requirements for promotion for police officers, i.e. what role do exams/qualifications play, are they competency based, how are they related to the National Competency Framework

16. There are no qualifications as such for promotion to these ranks. All assessment is against the competencies required for the rank as described in the Integrated Competency Framework.

How are opportunities advertised, i.e. Notices/external advertising

17. All promotion events are advertised internally through Notices, which are published weekly through the MPS Intranet. Promotions for such ranks are also usually advertised externally to the MPS through Police Review.

What monitoring takes place, including of those who make application but whose application is not supported

18. All applications, whether receiving a recommendation or not, must be forwarded to HR Directorate for monitoring purposes. All those not recommended will be reviewed by a central review panel to ensure correct processes have been followed. Full statistical monitoring takes place for each process to ensure fairness, validity, reliability and that no adverse impact has taken place to any particular group including those in different business areas.

What support is provided

19. Full instructions, giving guidance on providing evidence is supplied to candidate and line managers. The Career Management and Retention Unit (CMRU) will also, with Progression and Selection, be providing briefings on development towards promotion

How ‘cloning’ is avoided

20. The assessment is against competencies and with clear instructions that recommendations must be made on evidence against those competencies. Assessors come from different business areas across the MPS and the case study is designed to test managerial skills and not police specific knowledge. There are also several avenues of appeal if individuals feel they have been unfairly treated.

Independent assessment

21. Assessors must not work with or personally know the candidates. Two completely separate panels are used and assessments are quality assured by occupational psychologists.

A summary of proposed changes, including any thoughts on the recent proposals ‘Building Communities, Beating Crime’

22. The White Paper mentions promotions are to be based more on workplace assessment with qualifications and accreditation being a central theme. These can, if and when adopted, be integrated into the assessment process.

23. A table showing the processes and numbers involved for 2004 is at Appendix 1. It is worthwhile commenting that the numbers of processes for sergeant is more than customary, due to the shortage there has been of officers in the role of uniform sergeant. The timetable of promotion processes for 2005/2006 is currently being finalised but it is intended there will, in general, be an annual promotion process for each of the ranks. For selection to detective roles, we are moving towards a more continuous selection process

Promotion processes for police staff

24. The section process for police staff can be found in the Policy and Standard operating procedures published by the Recruitment Directorate.

How selection panels, when used, are selected

25. The composition of selection panels is determined by local HR managers or recruiters, and must include at least two people, one of whom has received approved interview training and a HR representative. Additionally, the Recruitment Directorate has a pool of accredited assessors and interviewers available for selection processes.

What training is given to selection panel members, i.e. is it compulsory

26. At least one member of interview panels must have received approved training e.g. internal selection interviewing course, police recruit interview training or Chartered Institute Personnel Development (CIPD) course. All assessors within the Recruitment Directorate have received training under the National Recruitment Standards process and are accredited, forming part of a national pool.

What are the requirements for promotion for police staff, i.e. what role do exams/qualifications play, are they competency based, how are they related to the National Competency Framework

27. The MPS does not operate promotion processes for police staff. Each post is evaluated following Hay Job Evaluation criteria to determine an appropriate level of pay. Person specifications are drawn-up in light of the appropriate competencies under the competency framework. Any person can apply for these posts provided they meet the competency requirements.

How are opportunities advertised, i.e. Notices/external advertising

28. All posts are advertised internally through Notices, which are published weekly through the MPS Intranet. Recruiters can also advertise externally. Guidance is available on when to advertise externally and what content needs to be included in the advertisement.

What monitoring takes place, including of those who make application but whose application is not supported

29. Corporate police staff selection processes are monitored on a monthly basis. Applicants are asked to complete and return the equal opportunities monitoring form. The MetHR information system is being rolled-out across the MPS and functionality to facilitate equality monitoring for internal applicants is being built into the system, which will include a rejection status for failing to meet the attendance criteria, and not being supported by line manager. Historically, local HR units have been advised to retain management information for their own selection and recruitment processes.

What support is provided?

30. It is best practice in the MPS for internal applicants to receive support from line managers and/or colleagues e.g. mock interviews. A careers team is being developed to provide an advisory service to jobseekers, and part of the service will be advice and guidance on job opportunities. The Career Management and Retention Unit (CMRU) has also taken the lead in championing progression and is developing several initiatives.

How ‘cloning’ is avoided

31. The risk is mitigated through several measures including training, use of interview panels and measurement of performance against pre-defined behaviours and competencies. The standard operating procedures provide selectors with clear guidance on how to avoid bias.

Independent assessment

32. The Recruitment Directorate has a pool of external, community assessors who are available for all selection processes. These assessors usually account for 25% of the interviewers at the Hendon Recruitment Centre. Independence is also achieved through the inclusion of Board members from different OCU/Boroughs and HR representation during the selection process.

A summary of proposed changes, including any thoughts on the recent proposals ‘Building Communities, Beating Crime’

33. The proposals within the ‘Building Communities, Beating Crime’ Policing Plan and blueprint will be taken into account when developing the Recruitment Directorate’s Business Plan 2005/06.

C. Equality and diversity implications

All selection processes have the potential to unfairly discriminate and have an adverse impact. For this reason, processes are carefully designed, with an expert assistance where required, from occupation psychologists to be fair, valid and robust in line with good practice. All processes are subject to quality reviews at all stages, from line manager recommendation through to final selection panels. Each process has for some time been monitored for adverse impact against certain groups including race and gender. In addition to this, we are now monitoring, at corporate and local level, whether there is any impact on other groups falling under the heading of disability, sexual orientation, age and faith or belief plus we monitor the process is fair to people across different business groups where this is applicable.

D. Financial implications

The majority of cost is opportunity costs for the time of the candidate, line managers and assessors.

E. Background papers

None

F. Contact details

Report author: Duncan Arnold, Recruitment Directorate and Charles Phelps, Chief Superintendent, Career Management Unit

For more information contact:

MPA general: 020 7202 0202
Media enquiries: 020 7202 0217/18

Appendix 1: Details of promotion/selection processes for 2004

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