Historically, there has never been a need for police officers in Scotland to have any formal qualifications, although to progress beyond the rank of Constable has always been dependant on passing an internal qualifying examination known as the promotion examination. This has meant that many police officers, even the most senior in rank, can leave the service after 30—35 years with no recognition for the learning they have achieved.

Being designed initially to test the educational and professional knowledge of the candidates, the promotion examinations have changed significantly over the decades. As recently as 1972 Essay and Interpretation, General Knowledge, Arithmetic and Geography were part of the syllabus.

“What seem to you to be the main advantages and drawbacks of life in high flats?”

“A rectangular domestic oil tank measures 6 feet by 4 feet by 2 feet. Calculate: the volume of the tank in cubic feet; the capacity of the tank in gallons; the cost of a full tank of oil at 10.67 per gallon.”

From 1973 onwards, the general educational element of the examinations was removed and subsequent refinement has led to the current process where only accurate repetition of the law is required. In recent years, this system has lost favour and despite a change of format in the 1990’s the question of whether the system was ‘fit for purpose’ was raised by the Service in the early 2000’s.