A POLICE Federation chief has warned against allowing top jobs to be awarded to candidates without any police experience.

All officers currently have that experience, but Government proposals currently under consultation could see outsiders joining as superintendents after a 15-month training course.

Superintendents are charged with the daily running of police and Simon Roberts, chairman of Cheshire Police Federation, said the move could put operations at risk.

“I’m a strong believer that you need to have been at each of the ranks in the police force.

“Because it’s such a complex profession you need to have spent time at each of the ranks.

“Where I have some difficulty is with some of the big decisions we have to make around the controlling of incidents.”

John Dwyer, Police and Crime Commisioner for Cheshire, urged ‘extreme caution’ in allowing someone without experience into a senior role.

He said: “At any hour of the day or night senior officers may have to use their policing experience to make vital life and death decisions.

“The existing career system equips officers with that experience. It also means the public can have confidence in those officers.”

The Government says the shake-up will improve the police force, while the Association of Chief Police Officers has said utilising outside expertise could have benefits. The consultation runs until March 28.