Will a Police Licence to Practise Affect Pay or Promotion?

Police pay scales are determined by the Home Secretary following recommendations from the Police Remuneration Review Body (PRRB). The introduction of a "licence to practise" is a professional standards initiative, not a direct pay reform.

However, in the future, holding a valid professional licence could become a prerequisite for pay point progression. Similar to how student officers must meet certain benchmarks to move from Year 1 to Year 2, a licensing framework could eventually require officers to maintain their "active" status to trigger annual increments.

Acting and temporary promotions are currently governed by Regulation 27. Eligibility is usually based on having passed the NPPF (National Police Promotion Framework) exams or being "next in line" for operational reasons.

Under a licensing framework, specific "endorsements" may be required for those wishing to act in higher ranks. This would likely follow the model of professional bodies where higher responsibilities require a more specific level of certified competence.

• • Acting Pay: There is no current proposal to reduce acting pay based on licence status.
• • Board Eligibility: Maintaining a "clean" licence status would likely be a mandatory entry requirement for any promotion board.

Specialist roles—such as Authorized Firearms Officers (AFO), Roads Policing, or CID—already require periodic qualification and assessment. Licensing may formalise this process into a "licence endorsement."

If an officer is no longer able to maintain the specific requirements for a specialist post, they would typically lose the associated allowance but return to their base pay rank. Licensing is expected to mirror this existing pattern rather than introducing new financial penalties.