Cash-strapped Lincolnshire Police has been inundated with applications after launching a recruitment campaign, saying it is determined to keep police officer numbers up.
The force, which wants applicants to live in Lincolnshire or have strong links to the county – a policy that some say could be viewed as discriminatory, received 500 applications in the first 24 hours.
Chief Constable Neil Rhodes said that although the force will not currently be replacing Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) who retire or resign, recruitment of police officers will continue. The force intends to take on 150 new officers by 2019.
A recent report said the proportion of PCSOs in Lincolnshire Police was nine per cent. The England and Wales average is six per cent.
Ch Con Rhodes said: “I want the new officers to have a real understanding of the county and of the issues most important to the public that we serve.
“To achieve that we have decided that to qualify to apply to become an officer in Lincolnshire, you must be able to show that you have lived in Lincolnshire for at least a year, or in exceptional circumstances, can demonstrate a strong link to the county – perhaps you have served in the armed services in the county before being moved away.”
Employment law expert Mary Walker, a partner at Andrew Jackson Solicitors, said: “When an employer introduces a ‘practice, provision or criterion (PCP)’ that puts a person with a protected characteristic (such as race, disability, sex etc) at a disadvantage that may be indirect discrimination.
“In this case the criterion of candidates being required to live in the county may disadvantage certain sectors of the community e.g. certain ethnic backgrounds who do not tend to live in Lincolnshire.
“Lincolnshire in deciding on that criterion would have to consider whether the aim of enhancing local knowledge in their officers was a legitimate aim and was the requirement a proportionate means of achieving that legitimate aim.”
Some other police forces in England and Wales reportedly have a similar policy.
The selection process for new police recruits will take place in stages over the next year. The first intake is expected to start training in September next year.
Earlier this month, Ch Con Rhodes again called for more Government funds when a HMIC report said the only option left to make savings was reducing frontline officers.
