From the inception of modern policing in 1829 under Home Secretary Sir Robert Peel, police recruits have had to conform to a basic set of standards: namely, to be over six feet tall and be of previous "good character".

But as policing has evolved, the question of what makes a good candidate has become a more vexed issue.

While the height requirement has gone, police recruits are still required to meet a basic set of standards including good eyesight, health and physical fitness.

But, unlike doctors or teachers, there is no requirement to obtain basic professional standards before commencing employment.

Once employed, police officers undergo a 15-week training course at the Scottish police college at Tulliallan in Fife before being drafted back to their police force.

The situation is similar in Scotland's fire brigades, whose recruits undergo a 12-week training course at the Scottish Fire Services College at Gullane, which is funded to the tune of £6.5m a year by the Scottish Government. On top of this basic training, firefighters are trained in specialist skills during the course of their careers, such as water rescues and using cutting equipment to free people from car wrecks.

By contrast, nurses, doctors and those employed as allied health professionals - including roles such as occupational therapists and chiropodists - are expected to have met strict training requirements before they apply for a job.

The financial implications of this are potentially profound as the cost of training a highly skilled workforce can soon run into the millions. At the high end, the cost of putting an individual doctor through university and postgraduate training is estimated at £250,000.

As well as costing an enormous amount to the taxpayer, doctors also emerge from their five-year degree courses with a high level of debt, estimated at an average of £20,000 per graduate by the British Medical Association. This is made up from living expenses plus the cost of buying textbooks and sitting exams held by the Royal Colleges.

While the BMA argues that this represents a barrier to students from poor backgrounds - essentially making the profession a preserve of the better-off - others argue that the high wages eventually earned by doctors more than compensate for this initial outlay.

On the other hand, it is not always completely clear that upfront training saves money. Nurses and midwives, for example, take three to four years to train but are automatically eligible for a bursary of £6411 for the first three years, dropping to £4808 in the fourth year.

And while teachers have to support themselves, either when doing an undergraduate teaching degree or post-graduate diploma, the course fees are met by the taxpayer, through the Student Awards Agency for Scotland.

The model of training now being considered by senior Scottish police has precedent in North America, where some states take on new recruits who have funded their way through police academy from their own pockets.

In Europe, most police forces have in-house training models similar to that of the UK. However, there is a trend towards professional accreditation with countries such as Germany developing degrees in policing.

Other Professions

Doctors
Undergo five years undergraduate training and up to eight years postgraduate training to become a consultant. Fees paid but students incur an average of £20,000 debt, according to the British Medical Association.

Nurses
Undergraduate degrees take between three and four years. Fees paid, as well as a bursary of £6411 in the first three years and £4808 in the fourth year.

Firefighters
Basic training is provided in-post over a 12-week course at the Scottish Fire Services College at Gullane, East Lothian. Additional specialist training provided by individual brigades.

Teachers
Can qualify through either an undergraduate teaching degree or a post-graduate "conversion" diploma. In both cases, fees are paid by the government, providing students have not undertaken another course previously.