Police have been told to improve the force’s recruitment process to provide more flexibility for candidates applying for posts from abroad.
The ruling comes following an investigation into a failed application from Philip Drake, who applied to become Assistant Police and Crime Commissioner responsible for governance, based in PCC Adam Simmonds’ office.
Mr Drake, who has worked for the UN and NATO and is based in Kosovo, was overlooked for the £65,000-a-year job, so he then made a formal complaint, which was investigated by the county’s Police and Crime Panel.
A report, which has been seen by the Chronicle & Echo, concluded that Northamptonshire Police needed to amend its HR recruitment process to provide more flexibility.
They have also been told to investigate the use of technology, such as Skype, to help applicants based abroad.
The committee concluded that while the “recruitment process in question was thought to be unduly rigid, no blame could be attached personally to the PCC”.
Mr Drake claimed the process was “neither fair nor free from bias”.