University graduates will be able to qualify as detectives in just 12 weeks under radical plans being unveiled to tackle a "national crisis" in policing.

Successful applicants will be put to work solving crimes as soon as they have finished the basic training course and will not have to spend any time in uniform as a beat bobby.

The police watchdog recently warned that forces across England and Wales were short of around 5,000 investigators, and described the problem as approaching a "national crisis".

Police Now, a scheme to allow direct entry detectives, was initially launched in the Metropolitan Police area, but is now operating across 25 force areas.

Ministers have announced an extra £350,000 on top of the £2.8 million already pledged, to help fund the fast-track training programme, which is expected to deliver 1,000 extra detectives over the next five years.