A call for all police officers to have a renewable licence-to-practise has been fiercely rejected by the lower ranks’ union.

The licence, like a doctor’s, would be reviewed every five years and taken away if an officer could not demonstrate “professional development”.

It is one of 56 recommendations in a hard-hitting review by the Police Foundation, an independent think-tank that warns of an urgent need to restore public trust in policing.

But the Police Federation, which represents the majority of UK police officers, said the licence idea was “fraught with danger”.

A spokesperson said officers make an oath when starting their policing career and should be able to undertake that “without fear of reprisal every five years.”

They added that they accept the need for scrutiny but this seems like a “blunt tool to address poor performance”.

The federation, which represents officers from constable to chief inspector, added: “The devil will be in the detail, but at first sight, this recommendation appears to be unnecessary and will do little to assist with recruitment and retention in the police service.”

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Findings of the report

In a bombshell report, the Police Foundation revealed that last year fraud and cybercrime accounted for 53% of all crime affecting people, yet only 0.1% led to a prosecution.

It found a 240% leap in rapes reported to police, yet prosecutions fell from 8.5% to 1.5% between 2015 and 2021.

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The report’s author Sir Michael Barber warned there is “a crisis of confidence in policing in this country which is corroding public trust. The reasons are deep rooted and complex – some cultural and others systemic”.

He said policing in this country is “at a crossroads” and “the warning signs if we do nothing are flashing red and we ignore them at our peril”.

The report suggested a shortfall of 6,851 detectives across the forces could be helped with better pay to encourage officers to become investigators and an expanded direct-entry scheme to attract staff from other careers.

Modern police force ‘needed urgently’

Sir Michael, a specialist in government policy and delivery, said the report represents “the most comprehensive review of policing for a generation”.

“We need a modern police service fit for the future which is at the cutting edge of technology and training. And we need it urgently,” he added.

The report includes figures that show a fall in the number of crime victims who were “very satisfied” with the police response, from 42% in 2014 to 32% in 2020.

The review was launched in 2019 to examine changes in crime, the fear of crime and other threats to public safety and the police ability to deal with them.

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