SIPP: the new promotion process

No primary College of Policing document on SIPP could be read on 19 October 2026, so the facts on this page come from secondary reporting: a Police Professional news report of 23 May 2024 and two posts on policepromotion.blog dated 26 November 2024 and 2 August 2026. The one first-hand source is the Avon and Somerset Police promotions page. Treat the figures below as reported rather than confirmed, and check them against the College before relying on them.

What it is

The Sergeant and Inspector Promotion and Progression process (SIPP) is the College's proposed replacement for the National Police Promotion Framework that runs the current exam. Police Professional reported the College describing it as simpler, fairer and more accessible, after officers had found the existing process overly complex with too little weight on leadership. It has three stages: development, selection and promotion. Avon and Somerset names the third stage as temporary promotion and work-based assessment, and says candidates will be expected to evidence their own development in their PDR.

Where it is trialled

Police Professional named Gwent, Lincolnshire, Leicestershire and Avon and Somerset as test forces in May 2024. The November 2024 blog post reports that Gwent withdrew and that Northamptonshire and Northumbria joined from late 2025, giving five trial forces: Avon and Somerset, Leicestershire, Lincolnshire, Northamptonshire and Northumbria. The August 2026 post still counts five. Avon and Somerset describes itself as a test force with a view to becoming an early adopter. Forces outside the test continue with the NPPF.

The assessment shape

According to the November 2024 post, SIPP keeps a legal knowledge exam drawn from the Blackstone's Police Manuals but shortens it. Sergeants sit 80 scenario-based multiple-choice questions in two hours, with five removed at marking and a pass mark of 55 per cent (41 of 75); inspectors sit 40 questions in one hour, five removed, pass mark 65 per cent (23 of 35). Exceptional grades are reported at 80 and 85 per cent. Sergeants' sittings fall in March and October, inspectors' in May and November. Alongside the exam sit online leadership modules, six for sergeants and five for inspectors, and a national application form; the August 2026 post describes that form as 4,500 words, 500 per competency and value.

Status and dates

Police Professional reported a test phase running to March 2026 with evaluation throughout. The November 2024 post expected evaluation to complete in September 2026 and national rollout in April 2027. The August 2026 post reports that the Police Leadership Commission, in July 2026, recommended rolling SIPP out nationally as soon as possible as an interim measure before a fuller redesign, with rollout projected for 2027, and notes that the trial had not yet been evaluated. This page will be revised once a College document can be read.