PLANS to accept police superintendents who have not worked their way through the ranks have been criticised by the Police Federation.

North Yorkshire Police will use the Direct Entry scheme to select two new superintendents, but the Federation says the roles cost too much when policing budgets are being squeezed.

Entrants will follow an 18-month training programme devised by the College of Policing, with initial reports suggesting the training will cost £180,000 per entrant with the money coming from central funds.

Sergeant Mike Stubbs, chairman of North Yorkshire Police Federation, said the scheme may not be the best use of limited resources, and the money used to provide that funding had been slashed from the budgets of police forces around the country.

Sgt Stubbs said: “The Home Office funding for these posts will last for three years and North Yorkshire Police cannot be criticised for taking advantage of it.

“But we are astonished that the Home Office can find this sort of money for an untested scheme which attracted little support from within the service when it was proposed. North Yorkshire Police recruits to high standards and we already have some outstanding individuals. The public are entitled to ask whether the Home Office has got its policing priorities right.”