EVERY civvy street candidate on the initial police detective recruitment programme failed their first exams because they were unable to use handcuffs.

All 43 recruits on the Met’s direct entry course for detective constables flunked an officer safety training assessment.

2 All 43 recruits failed their first exams because they were unable to use handcuffs Credit: Reuters

A source said: “Not one was able to use handcuffs.

“There were also problems with them knowing how to use personal protective equipment like batons and sprays and fitness levels were not what they should have been in some cases.

“It wasn’t their fault because they had never received any training in basics an ordinary constable would have received.

“It has held them all back and successful recruits won’t get postings for another couple of months. It has caused quite a panic.”

2 New recruits were also unable to use other pieces of equipment such as sprays and batons Credit: Alamy

The Detective Constable Pathway course is the first of its kind in the UK.

It is designed to relieve a 15 per cent shortfall of detectives in London amid a steep increase in murders, knife and gun crime.

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Ken Marsh, chairman of the Met’s Police Federation branch, said: “We opposed this direct entry scheme from the beginning.

“This failure to pass basic safety assessments only highlights how right we are to be concerned.”

The Met said: “We have seen a good standard of candidates.”