Met Police castigated for disparaging its own officers in Instagram ad
The Met Police has scored an own goal with an ill-advised Instagram recruitment advert for senior officers, which risks undermining morale among lower ranked staff.
Met Police castigated for disparaging its own officers in Instagram ad
The job post invited top tier recruits to sign up with a promise that you ‘…don’t have to start at the bottom’, apparently referring to police constables who’ve traditionally worked their way up the ladder through years of hard work.
Backed by the College of Policing, the ‘Lead Beyond’ campaign offered a direct entry scheme to bring outside talent from non-policing backgrounds into the force, by fast-tracking candidates for superintendent roles within as little as 18 months.
Another stream offered applicants direct entry at the level of inspector before a backlash from rank and file officers forced its hasty deletion.
Chief constable Mike Cunningham, of the College of Policing, said: “The DE advert has caused huge offence to many great people doing a great job. I unreservedly apologise for that. I have had the advert taken down and shall be making enquires today to understand how it was posted in order that it won’t happen again.”
Addressing the controversy John Apter, national chairman of the Police Federation, said: “Really disappointing to see this and sends completely the wrong message. I started ‘at the bottom’ and am very proud I did. I would suggest a very quick rethink.”
The episode marks a rare misstep for a force which has been at pains to build an impressive digital engagement strategy.
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