Veterans being blocked from joining the police
SHEER JOY! 160,000 WELCOME ED HOME Newbies’ degree rule
ED Sheeran makes a triumphant return home to Ipswich with a gig for fans to mark the end of his record-breaking Divide world tour.
Friday night’s celebration at Chantry Park was the first of four concerts by Ed, 28, to end 893 days on the road – expected to pull in 160,000 fans – smashing U2’s record of 760 days, set in 2011. Ed told fans the gig felt “really weird and cool”. Earlier, he and Stormzy filmed a video for a remix of Ed’s song Take Me Back to London – with 5ft 8in Sheeran standing on a Rolls-royce bonnet to be ‘Ed and shoulders above the 6ft 5in rapper. FORMER troops are being deterred from joining the police force by new rules, fears a former minister.
Durham MP Kevan Jones is worried policing is becoming a graduate profession and also voiced concerns about its planned longer probationary period.
The ex-veterans minister has written to Home Secretary Priti Patel to highlight the issues. From next year, all new cops in England and Wales will have to be educated to degree level.
Mr Jones thinks this will put off former members of the armed forces and older people from signing up.
He wrote: “The expected downturn in the number of non-graduates applying for police roles will result in many forces being less diverse, less representative of the areas they police, and less capable of fulfilling their statutory duties. I am particularly concerned that the Government’s proposals will deter applications from nongraduate, former members of armed forces.”
He thinks extending the probationary period so rookies are effectively paid apprenticeship wages for three years would also deter older people and those with dependants.
He said: “Former armed forces personnel represent the most steadfast, dedicated public servants, yet they must of course consider financial expediency when making decisions about their employment.”
A 2014 survey by the Royal British Legion of the ex-services community found working age veterans are nearly twice as likely to be jobless as their equivalents in the general population.