Get help with appointing a chief officer

This guidance describes the principles, processes and responsibilities required for appointing:

chief constables (CCs)
deputy chief constables (DCCs)
assistant chief constables (ACCs)
the Metropolitan Police Service commissioner, deputy commissioner, assistant commissioners (ACs), deputy assistant commissioners (DACs) and commanders
the City of London Police commissioner, ACs and commanders

This guidance can be used:

by police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and CCs, while recognising that they are responsible for managing their own appointment processes in accordance with police regulations and other legislative requirements, and those supporting PCCs and CCs with recruitment
to provide advice and guidance to PCCs and CCs on how to design and deliver a chief police officer appointment process that is underpinned by the principles of merit, fairness and openness

This guidance is applicable to chief officer appointments in England and Wales. While this guidance is not designed to support chief officer appointments for Police Scotland, the Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and non-Home Office forces, it may be used as a helpful guide where appropriate.

Similarly, this guidance may be helpful in informing senior police staff appointment processes. Nothing in this guidance prohibits the application of the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) ‘Advice note 8: Retirement and re-joiner guidance’, published in July 2022.

This guidance does not supersede police regulations, which must be adhered to during all appointment processes:

Home Office. (2018). Selection and appointment of Chief Officers

You can find guidance on this page about the following areas of appointing a chief officer.

College of Policing support

The College provides a free-of-charge service to support police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and chief constables (CCs) making chief officer appointments. The College can provide support and assistance with all aspects of the appointment process including:

advice regarding regulations and eligibility criteria for appointments for appointing chief officers
a central point for advertising all chief officer vacancies and contacting potential candidates
specialist recruitment and assessment advice and support, including:
- support to PCCs and CCs in establishing assessment criteria for an appointment process
- support to design assessment content including stakeholder panels, interview questions, briefing exercises and more
- identification of appropriate methods based on priority areas for the force
- briefing and training for appointment panel members
- practical support in delivering selection process activity
- psychometric assessment of applicants
guidance, briefing and training for independent members
guidance, briefing and training for delivering feedback to candidates following the appointment process
guidance for inducting and onboarding chief officers following the appointment process

For further information on how the College can support appointment processes please go to chief officer selection support or contact hub@college.police.uk and one of our expert team will be happy to discuss further.

Planning an appointment

Roles and responsibilities

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) are responsible for the appointment of chief constables (CCs). In the context of police force areas where police governance falls under the remit of an elected mayor, the mayor will be responsible for the appointment of CCs and may appoint a deputy mayor for crime and policing to exercise functions on their behalf. The City of London Corporation is responsible for the appointment of the Commissioner of the City of London Police.

CCs are responsible for the appointment of other chief officer roles.

A PCC or CC will define the requirements of their vacancy and identify who is best suited to sit on the appointment panel. It is for the PCC or CC to decide how they wish to run their appointment process. While they may devolve responsibility for putting the appointment process in place to a suitably qualified person, they maintain oversight and hold responsibility for ensuring it is done.

Merit, fairness and openness

PCCs and CCs must observe the principles of merit, fairness and openness when selecting and assessing chief police officers. The definition of these principles is based on those contained in Civil Service Commission (2018) Recruitment Principles, published in April 2018.

Merit means appointing the best available person judged against the essential criteria for the role. No one should be appointed to do a job unless they are competent to do it and the job must be offered to the person who would do it best. The successful candidate should be chosen from a sufficiently strong and diverse pool of eligible candidates.
Fairness means there must be no bias in assessing candidates. Selection processes must be objective, impartial and applied consistently.
Openness means that job opportunities must be advertised publicly. The aim of the advertisement should be to attract a strong field of eligible applicants. Potential candidates must be given reasonable access to information about the job, its requirements and the selection process. In open competitions, anyone who wishes must be allowed to apply.

By ensuring that these principles underpin chief police officer appointments, PCCs and CCs will have confidence in what they are measuring. They will also have confidence that candidates are assessed in a consistent way, and that there is a transparent and justifiable reason why the appointed candidate is the right candidate for the role.

Movement between forces and secondments

Movement between forces in England and Wales as a chief officer, including the use of secondments, can bring benefits through exchanging experience of policing in other areas and understanding other operating environments.

Movement between forces is not mandatory, and there can be challenges and barriers associated with this. However, PCCs and CCs should consider how they can encourage applicants from outside their force to participate in their chief police officer appointment process.

Movement between forces at chief officer level is not the only means by which a chief police officer can bring a different perspective. Experience in another force at superintendent or chief superintendent level can also bring benefits of experience of senior leadership in another area.

Pre-appointment planning

The police professional profile, leadership standards and the competency and values framework (CVF) should be used to develop a job description and to define what is being sought in potential candidates for chief officer roles. The needs and values specific to the force should also be reflected in the appointment process.

For CC appointments, His Majesty's Inspector (HMI) can provide an overview of efficiency and effectiveness of the force which may be useful to inform the design and delivery of the appointment.

Assessment criteria for the appointment should be identified in advance of launching the appointment process. These criteria should reflect the level of the vacancy, as well as current and future demands on the force.

A chief officer appointment process must comply with the Equality Act 2010 and the public sector equality duty. Equality, diversity and inclusion should be proactively considered in the design and delivery of the appointment process.

Candidates who may require reasonable adjustments should be considered ahead of the process. Candidates should be supported throughout to discuss any adjustments which may be relevant and appropriate.

A chief officer appointment process must adhere to the Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulation (UK GDPR).

Eligibility

Individuals who previously qualified as eligible for a chief police officer appointment by virtue of successfully completing the senior police national assessment centre (senior PNAC) and the strategic command course (SCC) are eligible for substantive appointment to a chief police officer role.

Police officers who have successfully completed the executive leaders programme (ELP) as part of cohorts 1 and 2 will be eligible for substantive appointment to a chief police officer role. Police officers who have demonstrated the baseline standard on the ELP development centre and successfully completed the ELP from cohorts 3 onwards are also eligible for substantive appointment to a chief police officer role. Police staff who have never served as a warranted officer are not eligible for chief police officer roles, even if they have completed the ELP.

Applicants for chief police officer appointments in England and Wales must meet the eligibility criteria. Applicants for chief constable (CC) or commissioner must have held the rank of assistant chief constable (ACC), commander or a more senior rank in a UK police force, or must meet the eligibility requirements as an overseas officer (see below).

Temporary ACC appointments

Police officers can be appointed temporarily into a chief police officer role who have not yet demonstrated the baseline standard on the ELP development centre and/or completed the ELP. A police officer who is appointed temporarily into a chief police officer role must commence the ELP within 12 months of temporary appointment or at the next available opportunity if not already on the programme.

A police officer who has been temporarily appointed to a chief police officer role who fails to achieve the required standard at the ELP development centre or the ELP at any point will be withdrawn from the programme. They must revert to their previous substantive rank as soon as practicable.

On successful completion of the programme, they can be substantively appointed with no further appointment process. This assumes they were originally selected in accordance with this guidance, via an open and competitive recruitment process that was underpinned by the principles of merit, fairness and openness.

Officers outside England and Wales

Chief officer appointment processes for Police Scotland, Police Service of Northern Ireland (PSNI) and non-Home Office forces are not required to follow the processes outlined in this guidance. While individuals from these policing organisations can participate in the ELP, they have their own legislation, process and procedures relating to chief officer appointments. However, they must meet this eligibility if applying for an appointment in an England and Wales Home Office force.

Overseas officers who are eligible in terms of rank and overseas force can be appointed into a chief police officer role on a temporary basis, with the expectation that they start the ELP within 12 months or start the next available programme following their appointment.

Overseas police forces and ranks that are approved for chief police officer appointments in England and Wales can be found in The Appointment of Chief Officers of Police (Overseas Police Forces) Regulations 2014.

There are no restrictions on moving to another force or role while an individual is on the ELP.

Senior police staff appointments

It is recommended that senior police staff appointment processes follow the guidance outlined in this document, but there is no requirement to do so.

Police staff who have never served as a warranted officer are not eligible for chief police officer roles, even if they have completed the ELP.

Advertising

To meet legal requirements, a permanent substantive chief police officer vacancy must be advertised on a national public-facing website or in another national publication that deals with policing matters. The College of Policing can link to your vacancy on their vacancies page which will fulfil this requirement. Adverts must state the closing date and must be open for a minimum of three weeks.

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and chief constables (CCs) should consider what opportunities they can provide to encourage applications and generate a strong and diverse pool of applicants (particularly from external applicants, to maximise the benefits for the service from a wider talent pool and movement between forces). All applicants should be provided with equal opportunities and access to information about the role and the force, regardless of whether they are external or internal candidates.

Forces with candidates participating in the ELP are asked in the memorandum of understanding to avoid running processes which clash with programme dates. Forces not participating are encouraged to avoid programme dates to maximise their potential applicant pool. Dates for the ELP can be found here: Executive leaders programme (ELP) | College of Policing.

Forces should also be mindful of clashes with local and national events which may impact on potential applicant numbers.

Conduct and vetting

Disciplinary record review

Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and chief constables (CCs) must consider all applicants’ disciplinary records and should be aware of any outstanding allegations or ongoing incidents at the outset of an appointment process (during application and shortlisting). Applicants must consent to a review of their disciplinary record as part of the appointment process. The PCC or CC must review the barred and advisory lists to confirm that an individual is eligible for appointment. Applicants for chief officer appointments will not be eligible if they are named on the barred and advisory lists.

CCs must satisfy themselves that they have completed a comprehensive review of the disciplinary record, including both live and concluded matters, of any chief police officer they appoint. A CC should inform the PCC if they appoint a chief officer with a disciplinary record that is live. They should consider whether it would be appropriate to inform the PCC of any concluded matters that could have a potential effect on the individual’s role in policing and on their force, region and community. A PCC may consider asking CCs whether there are any disciplinary matters, live or concluded, that could have a potential impact on their force, region and community.

It is the responsibility of the PCC or CC to decide whether to appoint a candidate with evidence of a live or concluded disciplinary in circumstances where an individual is subject to ongoing investigation. The PCC or CC should complete a risk-based assessment that considers the circumstances of the disciplinary, the potential effect on the individual’s role in policing and the impact that the appointment would have on their force, region and community.

Vetting

A candidate appointed to a chief officer role must be re-vetted as part of the appointment process, in accordance with the Vetting Code of Practice and Vetting authorised professional practice.

Appointment panel

The PCC makes the decision about whom to appoint to a vacant CC role, while the CC makes this decision for all other chief officer vacancies. To support them in making that decision, the PCC or CC will convene an appointment panel.

The appointment panel will challenge and test that the candidate meets the necessary requirements to perform the role. In collaboration with the PCC or CC, the appointment panel will:

shortlist applicants against the agreed assessment criteria
assess all shortlisted candidates against the agreed assessment criteria
consider which candidate most closely meets the appointment criteria

The PCC or CC will determine who sits on their appointment panel to support them in testing and challenging applicants’ suitability for the role. Appointment panel members should be diverse and should have the necessary skills to make a fair assessment of candidates for senior police leadership roles.

The appointment panel should be suitably experienced and competent to assess the suitability of a senior police leader and to understand the needs of the force and its community.

All panel members must complete briefing or training prior to a chief officer appointment process, to ensure compliance with the principles of merit, fairness and openness. This should include assessment principles, assessment methodology, assessment criteria and rating scales, assessment logistics and potential biases in assessment and how to avoid these. Pre-appointment panel member briefing or training should be provided by a suitably qualified person.

The PCC or CC must ensure that no conflict of interest exists between the appointment panel members and applicants prior to shortlisting.

Independent member

The appointment panel for all chief police officer appointments must include at least one independent member. Independent panel members are part of the appointment panel and must also be experienced in selection and assessment practices. They are responsible for determining the extent to which the appointment process is conducted, in line with the principles of merit, fairness and openness.

For CC appointments, the independent panel member will produce a written report on the appointment process, which should be submitted to the police and crime panel (PCP) at the same time as the name of the preferred candidate. The report should explicitly address the appointment principles of merit, fairness and openness.

The report should also address the extent to which the panel was able to challenge the preferred candidates and test that they meet the necessary requirements to perform the role. The independent member for all other chief officer appointments (for example, assistant chief constable (ACC) and deputy chief constable (DCC)) is not required to produce a written report on the appointment process, but CCs may consider requesting this.

The independent panel member cannot be:

the PCC
a member of the PCC’s staff
a member of the PCP
a Member of Parliament
a local councillor
a serving or retired police officer or member of police staff
a civil servant
a member of the National Assembly for Wales, Northern Ireland Assembly or Scottish Government
His Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire & Rescue Services (HMICFRS) staff
Independent Office for Police Conduct (IOPC) commissioner or staff
College of Policing staff
Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) staff
a member of a consultancy firm supporting with the selection and assessment process
anyone with previous policing experience
anyone with a conflict of interest in the process

While individuals in these roles are not eligible to be an independent panel member, they can sit on the appointment panel if suitably qualified in assessment and the PCC or CC wishes.

Senior policing advisor

The appointment panel for a CC vacancy must include a senior policing advisor. The senior policing advisor is an individual with professional policing knowledge, who will provide the PCC with advice at an appropriate level from a policing perspective. The senior policing advisor may be:

the chief executive officer (CEO) of the College of Policing
HMIs
CC members of the National Police Chiefs' Council (NPCC)
recently retired CCs

If a recently retired CC is acting as senior policing advisor, it is recommended that the individual has retired within the previous two years, unless they have relevant experience in UK policing or the wider criminal justice system since retirement that demonstrates their ability to operate as a current credible strategic leader. CCs may wish to consider including a senior policing advisor in their appointment panel for DCC and ACC roles, although this is not a requirement.

Application and shortlisting

All applicants must complete an application for a chief police officer vacancy. The information in the application should be used to:

confirm their eligibility for the role
determine the extent to which the applicant meets the requirements for the role
identify whether they should progress to the next stage of the appointment process based on the evidence they provide

All individuals who are eligible to apply for a chief police officer appointment vacancy must be allowed to apply and progress to shortlisting. Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and chief constables (CCs) should satisfy themselves that the appointment panel have completed a comprehensive review of the evidence provided at this stage, appropriately challenging and questioning whether the candidate meets the eligibility requirements and pre-determined assessment criteria.

The appointment panel should use a structured, evidence-based assessment method to review all applications against the eligibility requirements and the predetermined assessment criteria. Only applicants who meet the eligibility requirements and predetermined assessment criteria can progress to subsequent stages of the appointment process.

All applicants should also complete a biographical data monitoring form, which will be held by the force for national monitoring and reporting purposes. This should not be shared with the appointment panel.

The College can provide support for determining suitable assessment criteria and briefings to panels regarding best practice for shortlisting.

Assessment

The aim of the assessment is to challenge candidates and to test that they meet the necessary requirements to perform the role. The PCC or CC will determine how assessment takes place and what methods are used in a chief officer appointment process.

Assessment tools

Assessment methods should be selected or designed that specifically elicit the agreed assessment criteria in a fair and consistent way. PCCs and CCs should balance the need to deliver a robust and rigorous process without being unfairly onerous.

All applicants should be assessed on the same assessments and against the agreed predetermined assessment criteria. Assessment tools should be designed to assess the specific competencies and values they are supposed to measure.

Design and delivery of assessments should allow both external and internal candidates an equal opportunity to demonstrate their suitability for the role. The Code of Ethics should be embedded into the appointment process to ensure that applicants are assessed against behaviours associated with effective and ethical performance in the police service. This can be achieved by using the competency and values framework (CVF) as the assessment criteria.

Assessment criteria

Assessment criteria for chief police officer appointments should reflect the level of the vacancy and should be drawn from, or linked to, the police professional profile, CVF and executive leadership standards.

Training for appointment panel members

Appointment panel members should take part in a performance benchmarking activity prior to making their assessment. This could involve discussing and confirming as a panel what good and poor performance looks like, as well as how this relates to assessment outcomes and decision making.

All appointment panel members should follow a structured, evidence-based assessment methodology that clearly identifies how the candidate’s evidence has contributed to the assessment outcome.

Candidates’ performance should be evaluated objectively using a predetermined rating scale that allows appointment panel members to distinguish meaningfully between effective and ineffective performance.

The College can provide advice and support with the design of assessment tools, briefings to panel members and advice on assessment criteria. Please contact hub@college.police.uk for more information.

ELP end-programme reports

The College will produce objectively assessed evaluations of an individual’s performance on the executive leaders programme (ELP) in the form of an end-programme report on successful completion of the programme. The end-programme report is endorsed by a member of the programme directing team. This report can be submitted as part of a chief police officer appointment process.

The end-programme report can provide a helpful additional source of information for appointment panels when considering the performance of individuals in the chief police officer appointment process, such as:

confirming eligibility
areas for exploration during the appointment process
a source of insight in relation to strengths and areas for development when in post
to complement evidence gathered through the appointment process itself

It is anticipated that these reports will be most useful as individuals graduate from the ELP and are promoted into a substantive assistant chief constable (ACC) role. Panels should therefore be mindful of the currency of information in these reports and the changes that have occurred in the ELP process.

Individuals who are eligible by virtue of having successfully completed senior police national assessment centre (PNAC) and the strategic command course (SCC) can be asked to provide reports from senior PNAC and the SCC instead of the ELP end-programme report for ACC vacancies. Panels should however be mindful of the currency of information in senior PNAC and SCC reports and the differences to ELP.

Applicants for chief officer roles above ACC will not be required to submit their ELP end-programme report. These should not be requested as part of a chief officer appointment process. This is due to the likely currency of these reports and the development in an officer’s career that will have likely taken place since ELP.

Individuals applying for a chief police officer appointment during their time on the programme no longer receive an interim report. This is due to the introduction of a baseline standard at the development centre and a much-reduced programme duration. The College can confirm enrolment on ELP to panels if required, though.

Decision making

The appointment process must use a robust decision-making model based on evidence of the agreed assessment criteria. Police and crime commissioners (PCCs) and chief constables (CCs) will need to identify how ratings are collated and identify a point that distinguishes between a candidate who has met the standard and one who has not.

The decision on whom to appoint is the responsibility of the PCC or CC. But they must base their decision on the assessments made by the appointment panel and information gained through the appointment process to demonstrate that decision making is based on merit and the evidence given by the candidate.

The same decision-making model should be applied consistently across all candidates. The College is happy to support and advise on decision-making models.

Feedback

All candidates who participate in a chief officer appointment process should receive clear and timely feedback, so that they can build it into their continuing professional development (CPD). Feedback should consist of a constructive evaluation of their performance in the appointment process based on their performance in all assessment components.

Feedback can be provided in a written format, via telephone or face to face. Feedback should accurately reflect what a candidate said and did in the appointment process.

Individuals providing feedback must have received training about how to deliver effective constructive feedback. The College has designed a guide for giving feedback. Please contact hub@college.police.uk for a copy. The chief officer appointments team would be happy to discuss this further with you.

PCCs and CCs may also want to consider capturing feedback from candidates undertaking their appointment processes.

Scrutiny

All chief police officer appointment processes must be scrutinised throughout the appointment process and following the identification of the preferred candidate (or candidates) to ensure they comply with the principles of merit, fairness and openness.

The appointment of a CC will be made by a PCC, subject to a confirmation hearing by the police and crime panel (PCP), who will satisfy themselves that:

the process was properly conducted
the process adhered to the principles of merit, fairness and openness
the preferred candidate meets the requirements of the role

PCPs have power of veto of a PCC’s first preferred candidate.

In accordance with the policing protocol, CCs must consult with the PCC on their proposed chief officer appointment.

Induction and onboarding

Following a chief officer appointment process, a PCC or CC should ensure that an induction plan is developed to support the onboarding process. This will provide newly appointed chief officers with early and ongoing support, guidance and learning to transition effectively into their new role and force.

Feedback from the appointment process can be used to inform an individual’s CPD. Induction activities should be designed to reflect the needs of the individual and their force.

The College has designed an induction guide for newly appointed executive leaders to support this process. Please contact hub@college.police.uk for a copy. The chief officer appointments team would be happy to discuss this further with you.