Sunday Mirror (Northern Ireland)
FEARS AS COPS RECRUITED WITH NO INTERVIEWS
POLICE forces are recruiting officers online without face-toface interviews, leaving safety campaigners horrified.
Special online centres set up in the pandemic cover assessment, preemployment checks and an offer.
It is only then are recruits asked to visit force HQ for a medical.
One new recruit said the first time he spoke to somebody in person was for his uniform fitting.
West Midlands, Wiltshire, Avon and Somerset and Hampshire forces are all using the system, which has been branded “bonkers” by Brendan O’Brien, director of police recruitment firm Bluelight Consultancy.
Mr O’Brien said: “They don’t run any kind of interview after the online assessment. You can join and not speak to a real person.”
Critics say the process will fail to spot monsters like Sarah Everard’s killer, PC Wayne Couzens. Karen Ingala-Smith, of anti-violence charity nia, said: “Couzens was at least the 15th serving or former officer to have killed a woman. Now is the time for more rigorous checks, not fast-track online selection processes.”
Harriet Wistrich, of the Centre for Women’s Justice, said: “Recruitment should include rigorous assessment. That cannot be done without a faceto-face meeting.”
All four forces said their vetting and training process follow national guidelines. Wiltshire Police said it will bring back in-person interviews. Avon and Somerset said a virtual Q&A is to become face-to-face.
Hampshire Constabulary removed the face-to-face interview stage in 2019 “to reduce risk of unconscious bias” and recruit “a more diverse pool of candidates.” West Midlands Police said applicants attend an in-person fitness day before receiving an offer.
The College of Policing said selection processes “are a matter for Chief Constables and Commissioners”.
‘Bonkers’ online hiring slammed