Petition We oppose the £1,000 Bobby Tax

We call on the Government to remove the Bobby Tax on anyone wishing to join the police. The £1,000 charge must be paid before anyone can even apply to the force, and it doesn't guarantee an interview, let alone a job. It only entitles you to go on a course of pre-application training - the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing. The £1,000 cost will put people from disadvantaged backgrounds and ethnic minorities off joining the police. This will make the police service unrepresentative of the communities it serves. The Army got rid of the system of commissions in 1871. It should not be in place for the police now.