Concern over reduction in Police Detective numbers

DETECTIVES are stepping away from the role and are ‘not regretting it’, Essex Police Federation has warned.

Workloads are rocketing as forces are not able to attract new recruits to the role, affecting morale and wellbeing in the policing area.

Nationally, there’s a 5,000 shortfall of detectives and a new plan to help recruitment has been adopted by Surrey Chief Constable Nick Ephgrave.

It rewards officers with a £1,000 bonus for signing up as a Detective, £1,000 more for passing exams and another £500 should they become a tutor to other detectives.

“In Essex, we’ve had colleagues step away from the Detective role and take up more traditional roles and not regret the decision,” Steve said.

“They are under increasingly heavy workloads – so, when you’re failing to attract Detectives to those roles you’re not able to share the work around, it’s the volume of work that becomes the problem not the type of work.”

He added: “The Detectives are leading the way in role related pay as they have this shortage, they have a demand.

“The Surrey force in particular has always been at the forefront of offering compensation and incentives, so I’m not at all surprised to hear this come from that part of the wider organisation.”

Steve said there the Detectives in Essex were being hit with other issues.

“As we restructure what our Detective cohort looks like in Essex in the sweep of a pen I’ve lost four detectives from my Police Federation board because their positions have been reclassified as now no longer requiring the Detective element, which is bitterly disappointing.

“Opponents to that view might think that by making the Detective cohort smaller you’re making it more specialist and therefore more attractive to others to come along and join.

“I think that’s just poppycock. I don’t agree with that at all. If the role officers are working in is one to which the skills of a Detective are required then guess what, that’s a Detective role.”