States of Jersey Police examination support (FOI)

Under the Freedom of Information (Jersey) Law 2011 I would like to know the following:

Please can you confirm whether the Police force has used a commercial service provider to provide examination support service for the NIE, sergeants and inspectors exams in the last 3 years.

If yes; Please can you confirm their identity.  Please can you confirm the annual spend level.

Jersey is not part of the UK. The States of Jersey Police does not use the UK national police examinations for promotion or progression into the investigator ranks.

The law in Jersey differs from the UK in many aspects. Many criminal offences are still common law whilst statute laws differ, to reflect the local customs and needs. Police promotion exams taken by Jersey police officers are bespoke to reflect the local legislation.

The States of Jersey Police force numbers around 200 officers. There is no requirement for annual promotion examinations, and exams are set and sat as and when necessary. The last promotion exam to Sergeant and Inspector was in 2018.

Historically, the exam syllabus has been set by senior Jersey police officers. The questions are set by the training staff with the assistance of local legal bodies. There is no annual spend. Any fees for outside legal assistance to evaluate the questions are one off and not repeated. New questions are added for each exam and the syllabus is adjusted as and when required as new legislation is introduced. Otherwise the current stock of questions is large enough to ensure a competitive and challenging examination of officer’s knowledge and skills. 

Further assessment processes are undertaken beyond the examination to test all areas of ability, including an interview board before selection is made and promotion confirmed.