Shortcomings in admission to the police training programme

In 2017, the Government decided that the number of employed police officers should be significantly increased. Therefore, the Swedish Police Authority was commissioned with expanding the capacity of its admission process for the police training programme.

The Swedish National Audit Office’s audit shows that there is no guarantee that the admission process leads to admitting the most suitable candidates. The shortcomings are due to the fact that the Swedish Police Authority has not produced a comprehensive job analysis of the qualities a police officer should possess. Because of this, there are shortcomings in the basis for deciding which tests and thresholds should be included in the admission process.

“A job analysis of what is required in the police profession is fundamentally essential to the ability to identify the necessary qualities of, and training requirements for, future police officers,” says Linda Jönsson, project leader for the audit.

The “trapdoor principle” – which means that applicants must pass each test component in order to move forward in the admission process – is problematic when the thresholds are based on ambivalent data. Other Nordic countries instead use an aggregation model with minimum values, which is supported by research.

The Government wants more diversity in the police force. However, the audit findings indicate that the admission process contains elements that may disadvantage women and people with a foreign background.

Due to confidentiality, psychologists interviewing candidates cannot share information with police staff. This impedes assessment and poses a risk of duplication of work and decision appeals.

The current admission process thus increases the risk of suitable candidates being rejected on ambiguous grounds, while unsuitable candidates are accepted.

The cost of the admission process is also significantly higher in Sweden than in other Nordic countries. This is partly because the Government has instructed the Swedish Defence Conscription and Assessment Agency to have capacity for 8,800 tests annually, which requires high staffing levels all year round, despite only 65% of test slots having been used.

The Swedish National Audit Office also notes that the Government’s decision to significantly increase the number of employed police officers was not preceded by any impact assessments, either for dimensioning the police training programme or how it affects the admission process.

“When central government activities are to be significantly expanded, this often leads to efficiency problems. Decisions therefore need to be preceded by an analysis of how risks and challenges should be addressed, which has not happened in this case,” says Auditor General Christina Gellerbrant Hagberg.