Metropolitan Police: Recruitment Timetable

Lord Allen of Abbeydale
asked Her Majesty's Government:What is the average length of time which elapses between an individual applying to join the metropolitan police and his being sworn in as a constable.

The Parliamentary Under-Secretary of State, Home Office (Lord Glenarthur)
I understand from the commissioner that the average figure for the recruits who joined the force in January 1986 was 39 weeks.