Army officers could be moved into police elite

Army officers could be transferred into the highest police ranks as part of a shake-up of police recruitment.

Downing Street is looking at changes that would establish an "officer class" in local forces, with the suggestion that army officers – especially those who had served on the front line in Afghanistan or Iraq – be brought in to share their leadership skills.

Senior intelligence personnel, civil servants and lawyers could also be fast-tracked into top positions, while university graduates could be put through a Sandhurst-style college to speed up their progress.

A Home Office spokeswoman said: "We are interested in radical proposals for the future of leadership and training in the police service. Tom Winsor, the Government's independent reviewer of police pay and conditions, is considering the issue of entry into the police service and will make recommendations in the second part of his review, to be published next year."