Career Guide

Police Licence to Practise Explained for Serving Officers

What current warrant holders need to know about the transition to professional licensing.

Professional Overview

The **Police Licence to Practise** is a proposed regulatory framework intended to standardise professional competence across all forces in England and Wales. For serving officers, it marks a shift from 'initial qualification' to 'career-long certification', mirroring the professional structures of healthcare and education.

How Licensing Affects Your Career Stage

Probationers (PCDA, DHEP, PPL)

For those in initial training, licensing is expected to be the 'capstone' to your course. Successfully completing your diploma or degree would serve as the gateway to your first substantive professional licence.

Substantive Constables

Substantive officers with completed training records will likely be 'grandfathered' into the system. The focus for this group is long-term maintenance of standards rather than re-testing basic skills.

Supervisors & Specialists

Licensing is expected to include 'endorsements' for specific responsibilities. Supervisors and those in high-risk specialist roles (e.g. Firearms) may require additional certification beyond the core licence.

Are You Professionally Ready?

Use this informational checklist to see how your current professional standards records align with a likely licensing framework.

Tool 3: Licensing Readiness Checklist

Based on existing professional standards, use this checklist to see how "ready" you likely are for a professional licensing framework.

Readiness Score0%

Current Training RecordsEnsuring all mandatory safety and legal training (e.g. PST, First Aid) is up to date.

JRFT ComplianceMaintaining the required standard for the Job Related Fitness Test.

Professional StandardsAdherence to the Code of Ethics and professional standards of behaviour.

Continuing Professional DevelopmentActive participation in annual PDR/Appraisal processes.

Vetting StatusEnsuring your vetting clearance is valid and any changes in circumstances are reported.

Status

This checklist reflects existing professional expectation patterns, not a new legal requirement.

Clarifying the Misconceptions

To maintain a calm and proportional focus on these reforms, it is important to understand what professional licensing is not:

Not a yearly exam: It is a certification of overall standing and training compliance, not a "Pass/Fail" annual test like the NPPF.
Not performance management: It does not replace your PDR or HR processes. It sits above force-level management as a national standard.
Not a hidden fee: While some professional bodies charge fees, it is not yet confirmed that officers will be personally responsible for costs.

Implementation Timeline Recap

Reforms are currently in the Proposal Phase. Expected milestones include:

Phase 1

White Paper

Phase 2

Legislation

Phase 3

Phased Launch