Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what progress has been made regarding on the manifesto commitment to roll out a direct entry scheme for detectives to boost investigation skills.

It is essential that police forces recruit the best and most able people to meet the evolving demands of policing and deliver the best possible service to the public.

There are existing opportunities to join policing directly into detective roles, including through the Police Now programme, which enables graduates who may not have previously considered a career in policing to join in specialist roles.

We are committed to ensuring a wide choice of entry routes available into policing to help to attract a diverse range of people, skills, experience and are considering this as part of wider police reform. In addition, we are funding a Leadership Commission, set up by the College of Policing and led by Lord Blunkett and Lord Herbert, which is examining the current entry routes into policing and potential alternative models to attract and develop talent.