Question to the Home Office:

To ask His Majesty's Government whether there is any policy in place, expressed or implied, that prevents or deters ex-armed forces personnel from being accepted into any part of the police force.

Police officer recruits are welcomed from all backgrounds, subject to passing the recruitment standards set by the College of Policing. This includes those who have served in the military and our unprecedented recruitment campaign sought to promote and amplify these opportunities.

The Police Uplift Programme engaged with relevant organisations to encourage applications from those with armed forces experience and a specific military access pathway pilot, led by Nottinghamshire Police, has recently concluded. Further roll out of this scheme is currently being considered by the College of Policing as part of wider work on police entry routes.

A survey of new police officer recruits, conducted in 2022 as part of the Police Uplift Programme, found that 3% of the preceding year’s recruits had military experience prior to joining the police. However, the Home Office does not hold data to allow an assessment of whether this proportion reflects the backgrounds of the wider police force.