Yahoo News Police officers should be sacked if they lack IT skills, report suggests
Police chiefs should be allowed to fire officers whose IT skills are not up to scratch, a new report has suggested.
The think tank, Reform, said being able to get rid of staff who were not computer literate, would mean forces would be in better shape to tackle surging levels of cybercrime.
But serving officers have slammed the suggestions, insisting that the police are already well versed at using technology to fight crime of all descriptions.
According to the report, restrictions preventing serving officers from being made redundant, means Chief Constables are currently "hamstrung" when it comes to tailoring their forces to meet the changing face of crime.
The report said: "Senior managers, officers and staff argued that the ability to fire officers without the necessary skills would allow chiefs to get the skill base to meet digital demand and shift culture."
In 2012 a major review of police pay and conditions recommended the introduction of a system of compulsory severance.
But the proposal was not taken forward, meaning officers kept the right to a job for life.
The new study from Reform, published today, (Wed) has called for the issue to be revisited.
Alexander Hitchcock, co-author of the report, said: "Chiefs should have the ability to make officers redundant if officers' roles have changed because of digital crime, and officers have not been able to develop the IT skills to fill these roles.
"But this will be a small minority of officers. We are arguing that forces should give officers every chance to develop IT skills through apps and university partnerships, as well as have the equipment to help them meet digital demand."
He added: "As people live more of their lives online, they need confidence that the police will help them do this securely.
"Bobbies urgently need the technology, skills and confidence to patrol an online beat."
The report also called for the recruitment of 12,000 IT volunteers to help in the fight against cybercrime, and said the government should invest an extra £450 million in police technology.
But the suggestions were not welcomed by rank and file officers.
Simon Kempton, lead on Digital Policing and Cybercrime, for the Police Federation, said: "It is entirely wrong to suggest that the police service has failed to change; indeed no part of either the public or private sector has gone through as much change as policing over the last decade.
"This report shows a lack of understanding of the regulations governing policing which already allow for the dismissal of underperforming officers through clearly defined processes.
"Policing requires a broad base of expertise and to simply dismiss officers who are less conversant with the digital world (rather than giving them proper training) is to treat with absolute contempt those who are prepared to sacrifice everything for the public they serve."
