Policing Education Qualifications Framework

The Police Education Qualification Framework (PEQF) is a College of Policing (CoP) mandated change which requires the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) to put in place new police officer recruitment and education pathways from 2020.

These proposals also provide the opportunity to invest further in both education and support for new recruits, helping new officers embed this education. Finally, the PEQF curriculum is better aligned to modern policing needs (than the current IPLDP curriculum) – for example, in relation to evidence-based policing, safeguarding and investigations.

The MPS are seeking to award a contract for delivery of the new officer learning programmes associated with the PEQF:

• Procured via the Yorkshire Purchasing Organisation Apprenticeship Framework;

• The duration of the contract covers implementation (1 year) and recruitment of Officer intakes for 5 years, with an additional 3 years to support learners through their ‘learner journeys’. If a 2-year extension is chosen the estimated contract value is £216M;

• This will primarily be funded by a combination of existing MPS budgets and Apprenticeship levy funding.

The Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime is recommended to approve:

• £1.3m of additional revenue funding to fund implementation costs and establishment of new roles in FY 2019/20. (Total costs for FY 2019/20 are £6.3m, however £5.0m has been allocated through the budget process for 2019/20). The additional funding of £1.3M is to be managed within the scope of overall MPS budgets;

• The MPS Medium Term Financial Plan to be adjusted to accommodate £0.8m funding requirement in FY 2020/21 (total £1.3m funding requirement, less £0.5m already allocated). This will be funded from existing budgets and will be addressed via the budget review process during the summer of 2019;

• The funding requirement for the remainder of the lifetime of the contract (2021/22 – 2030/31) to be managed as a pressure against the Medium Term Financial Plan (Funding requirement after accounting for implementation and already approved budgets is estimated to be £17.2m in total). This adds £2.3m to the pressures for 2021/22, with minor fluctuations in later years as set out with the Full Business Case. This additional funding is expected to be managed within the scope of overall MPS budgets;

• The MPS to proceed to contract with the PEQF Partner on a nine - to eleven - year contract with an anticipated value of £216m. The duration of the contract covers implementation (1 year), and recruitment for up to seven years (a five year initial term plus a two year optional extension) and three years beyond this to support the last intake through the full learner journey (3 years).

1. Introduction and background

1.1. The College of Policing (the CoP) has designed a Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) to be adopted by all police services nationally that sets minimum education qualification levels by practice or rank. PEQF is an important step toward developing policing as a profession and supporting the professional development of Police Officers and Police Community Support Officers (PSCOs).

1.2. Implementation of PEQF will be phased by career level, with changes impacting officer entry routes first. From January 2020, all Constable recruits will be required either to have a degree on entry or work towards a degree-level qualification as part of their training. Recruits with a degree will work towards a two year Graduate Diploma and those without will work towards a three year nationally recognised Degree Apprenticeship.

1.3. The education and development requirements for recruits under PEQF represent a significant change for the MPS. There is a more rigorous curriculum, increased assessment and accreditation requirements, and a greater focus on applying learning in the operational environment. The MPS will need to move from classroom-based training, with inconsistent local support and assessment, to a modern approach of learning with robust assessment of operational competence leading to a degree-level qualification.

1.4. Specific benefits the MPS aims to achieve through this change include:

 Increasing officer capability to address changing nature of crime;

 Meeting the changes to officer entry pathways mandated under PEQF;

 Increasing the attractiveness of a career with the MPS to prospective recruits; and

 Increasing satisfaction of career development opportunities.

2. Issues for consideration

2.1. Operational impact of increased protected learning time - The additional rigour and quality of the education and development recruits will undertake as part of PEQF requires an increase in the ‘protected learning time’ they are given. The MPS will work with the Partner to manage and minimise the impact of this.

2.2. Financial and operational impact – the MPS estimate that PEQF will require additional cash investment to operate (as set out in this decision). It will also require the MPS to deploy around 257 (FTE) officers embedded across the BCU to support and deliver on-the-job training. This investment is due in part to the more rigorous development recruits will undergo, but also due to the historic underinvestment in education and development for Constable recruits

2.3. Deployment of officers and staff into required roles - Implementation of the key elements of the organisation design related to the Centre of Expertise and Local L&D functions. These two elements need to progress rapidly if the MPS are to deliver PEQF on schedule.

2.4. A new type of partnership - The procurement outlined is not for an ‘off the shelf’ service. The MPS’ preferred partner is an experienced provider, but they will need to work closely with them to get the right education for the MPS, recruits and ultimately the public.

2.5. Commercial risk – The MPS have run a competitive procurement process based on a specification developed by a broad cross-section of MPS stakeholders. This is a new type of contract for the MPS and nationally in policing, and therefore there are commercial risks relating to entering into, managing and sustaining the commercial relationship with the new partner which will need to be acknowledged.

2.6. The financial model is sensitive to two key assumptions - The total number of recruits MPS require (which is driven by the headcount targets) and the proportion of apprentices and degree holders make a significant impact on the costs of delivery. The cost profile of PEQF would therefore be significantly different were the MPS to change the number of recruits (for example, to respond to a requirement to increase headcount) or if an increase to the number of degree holders recruited was required to meet recruitment targets.

2.7. The ability to attract recruits – The MPS have conducted market research to test the attractiveness of the new entry pathways with representative groups in London. This research has outlined that the new entry routes are more attractive for a large majority of potential candidates. However, there will continue to be some uncertainty regarding whether the new entry routes can support recruitment at the required levels and / or whether they will attract degree holders and apprentices in the proportions anticipated. The MPS will need to monitor this closely and learn from early adopters as their models mature (e.g. West Midlands).

3. Financial Comments

3.1. £1.3m of additional revenue funding to fund implementation costs and establishment of new roles in FY 2019/20. (Total costs for FY 2019/20 are £6.3m, however £5.0m has been allocated through the budget process for 2019/20). The additional funding of £1.3M is to be managed within the scope of overall MPS budgets;

3.2. The MPS Medium Term Financial Plan to be adjusted to accommodate £0.8m funding requirement in FY 2020/21 (total £1.3m funding requirement, less £0.5m already allocated). This will be funded from existing budgets and will be addressed via the budget review process during the summer of 2019;

3.3. The funding requirement for the remainder of the lifetime of the contract (2021/22 – 2030/31) to be managed as a pressure against the Medium Term Financial Plan (Funding requirement after accounting for implementation and already approved budgets is estimated to be £17.2m in total). This adds £2.3m to the pressures for 2021/22, with minor fluctuations in later years as set out with the Full Business Case. This additional funding is expected to be managed within the scope of overall MPS budgets;

4. Legal Comments

4.1. The Mayor’s Officer for Policing Crime is a contracting authority as defined in the Public Contracts Regulations 2015 (“the Regulations”). All awards of public contracts for goods and/or services valued at £181,302 or above will be procured in accordance with the Regulations.

4.2. The Scheme of Delegation, paragraph 4.14 delegates authority to the Deputy Mayor for Policing and Crime to call in any MPS proposal to award a contract for £500,00 and above. Paragraph 4.13 delegates authority to DMPC to approve all requests to go out to tender for contracts of £500,000 and above.

5. Commercial Issues

5.1. As outlined above this information is contained in the restricted section of the report.

6. Public Health Approach

6.1. The recruitment and development of skilled officers is essential to enabling the MPS to reduce violence. The PEQF will also help the MPS to adapt to the changing nature of crime and the more holistic approach to policing that is now required.

7. GDPR and Data Privacy

7.1. The MPS is subject to the requirements and conditions placed on it as a 'State' body to comply with the European Convention of Human Rights and the Data Protection Act (DPA) 2018. Both legislative requirements place an obligation on the MPS to process personal data fairly and lawfully in order to safeguard the rights and freedoms of individuals.

7.2. Under Article 35 of the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR) and Section 57 of the DPA 2018, Data Protection Impact Assessments (DPIA) become mandatory for organisations with technologies and processes that are likely to result in a high risk to the rights of the data subjects.

7.3. The Information Assurance and Information Rights Units within MPS will be consulted at all stages to ensure PEQF implementation meets its compliance requirements.

7.4. A DPIA has been completed for this project. The project will ensure a privacy by design approach, which will allow the MPS to find and fix problems at the early stages of any project, ensuring compliance with GDPR. DPIAs support the accountability principle, as they will ensure the MPS complies with the requirements of GDPR and they demonstrate that appropriate measures have been taken to ensure compliance.

8. Equality Comments

8.1. One of the overarching benefits intended from the CoP introduction of PEQF is to improve equality and diversity within Policing. The MPS Strategy, Diversity & Inclusion team has identified a number of potential opportunities and risks with the implementation of the PEQF.

8.2. The professionalising of policing may make such a career more attractive to some individuals. Alternatively, the need to acquire a qualification may be seen as a deterrent. The MPS is conducting an ongoing Equality Impact Assessment to capture information and develop mitigating actions.

9. Background/supporting papers

9.1. PEQF implementation – MPS Full Business Case [not suitable for publication due to commercial sensitivities]