56.The Patten Report recommended that, while the Chief Constable should remain responsible and accountable for recruitment, the technical work of recruitment should be contracted out to an outside agency.  Section 43 gives effect to this recommendation by enabling the Chief Constable to appoint an agent to carry out the recruitment of police officers and police support staff in accordance with any regulations made by the Secretary of State.  The Secretary of State must consult the Chief Constable, the Board, the Equality Commission and the Police Association on the regulations.  Subsection (4) of section 43 makes it clear that the Chief Constable retains overall liability for the recruitment process.
57.Detailed matters concerning the recruitment process will be set out in regulations made by the Secretary of State under Subsection (1) of section 44.  The Secretary of State must consult as under section 43.  Subsection (3) of section 44 sets out matters which must be covered in the regulations, including the involvement of lay representatives in the recruitment process and the review of decisions to reject candidates.  Subsections (5), (6) and (7) require that the regulations provide for pools of qualified candidates for the police service and its support staff to be selected.  Candidates for the police service (at constable level) will be selected from a pool for the purposes of appointment under section 46(1) (see below).  In respect of police support staff, only where there are 6 or more posts of a similar nature and level to be filled at about the same time will selection be from a pool for the purposes of appointment in accordance with section 46(5) (see below).
Commentary Part Vi: the Police Sections 43, 44 and 45: Recruitment Arrangements