A PROPOSAL to make degrees mandatory for new police officers could make it more difficult for forces to make their workforces representative of the communities they serve, it has been claimed.

Mike Stubbs, chairman of North Yorkshire Police Federation, said he also feared the College of Policing plan could lead to forces suffering losses of practical skills and experience.

Mr Stubbs has joined officers from across the region, including Cleveland Police's deputy chief constable, in questioning the wisdom of the proposal, in which only graduates would be considered as potential recruits.

The college said while policing tasks, such as investigating cyber crime and child sexual exploitation have become of "degree-level complexity", forces such as Durham and North Yorkshire have no minimum standard of education.

It said the proposal, which could be piloted in 2017 before becoming compulsory for all forces in 2019, would bring England and Wales into line with some other European countries.

Dr Sam Peach, of the college, said: "The majority of other professions have graduate entry in the UK.

"There's a lack of parity with other professions and because of that the police is not recognised as a legitimate profession."

Mr Stubbs said it was vital that forces had a mix of both academic and practical skills and warned restricting recruits to graduates would make it more difficult to fulfil workforce targets related to age and ethnicity, the latter being something the Home Secretary recently criticised the force over.

He said: "In North Yorkshire, we have traditionally recruited a proportion of our workforce from the armed services and more mature recruits who have had experience in other professions.

"While there is clearly a place for people with academic qualifications, policing is also about personal qualities."

Iain Spittal, deputy chief constable at Cleveland, said he was an example of an officer who had joined the service with a low academic ability in his late teens.

When he was appointed as North Yorkshire's assistant chief constable in 2012, the police authority stated he had "proven himself to be an exceptionally able senior officer who is highly regarded and respected by all - both within and external to North Yorkshire Police".

Mr Spittal added: “I have worked with many outstanding colleagues over the last 29 years, some who held degrees on joining and many, like me, who did not."

He said the possession of academic qualifications did not guarantee commitment or the ability to be a good police officer, but indicated a commitment to learn and an academic ability.