Plans to allow police forces in England and Wales to recruit senior officers from outside the service are to be detailed by the government later.
The plans would mean Army officers and business leaders, for example, could move quickly into senior posts.
Also expected to be included in a consultation document is a proposal to allow senior police officers from overseas to join as chief constables.
Many in the police service have already voiced opposition to direct entry.
'Talent deterred'The current system sees all police recruits begin work as a constable, regardless of age, skills or experience.
The Home Office proposals being put before MPs herald a fundamental change to the current system of police recruitment, BBC home affairs correspondent Danny Shaw says.
It currently takes about 25 years for a newly recruited constable to work their way to the most senior level, a process that is thought to deter talented people from other professions from joining the police, our correspondent adds.
A debate about the benefits of direct entry has been going on for a decade but Tom Winsor's report has finally prompted action.
Winsor found that although the police culture had "many extremely valuable strengths" it was also "somewhat closed, defensive and inward-looking".
He said an "infusion of experience and expertise" from other disciplines and occupations would improve things.
The revelation of links between Scotland Yard and News International, and the sense in the early stages of the London riots that there was a lack of police leadership, has bolstered the argument for change.
But the idea of an outsider being recruited as a superintendent, taking charge of a firearms operation or the policing of a protest march, is likely to prove hugely controversial.
The Home Office is determined there will be change - but it may have to proceed cautiously.
The direct-entry plans expected to be put forward follow recommendations in a report last year by the Chief Inspector of Constabulary Tom Winsor.
These included fast-tracking recruits to inspector level within three years, allowing outsiders to join as superintendents with 15 months' training and opening up chief constable roles to senior officers from countries such as Canada, the US, Australia and New Zealand.
Mr Winsor has previously said he believes people from other professions could "enrich" the police service.
The former rail regulator said direct entry into the police service had the potential to "change the face of modern British policing for the better".
Several police forces, including Britain's largest, the Metropolitan Police, already have graduate recruitment schemes. They all insist that recruits spend time on the beat.
But Mr Winsor wants to dispense with that stage for graduates from top universities to make a police career a more attractive alternative to the City or the professions.
Speaking at the annual conference of the Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales in September, Home Secretary Theresa May said direct entry was "not just about more women police leaders or more senior officers from ethnic minorities".
"It's about those who have gained broader experience and new perspective in fields like the wider public sector and business," she said.
'Work experience'Sir Hugh Orde, president of the Association of Chief Police Officers, has urged caution against giving too much responsibility to those from outside the police service.
He argued he would not want people on "work experience" in charge of policing disorder in Northern Ireland, where he used to be the chief constable.
Steve White, vice-chairman of the Police Federation, which represents rank-and-file officers, said it did not support proposals that would allow external candidates to join the police service at any rank above that of constable.
"We believe the rank structure allows officers to perfectly equip themselves for their next role within the service," he said.
He said there were also reservations about overseas recruitment of senior officers, adding: "We have the best police service in the world so it seems strange that the government - which often echoes this view - may wish for forces to recruit chief constables from overseas."
But Britain's highest-ranking officer, Metropolitan Police Commissioner Sir Bernard Hogan-Howe, has said he would like to recruit 10% of senior officers from external candidates.
Ann Barnes, the first police and crime commissioner for Kent and former chair of the county's police authority, has experience of recruiting chief officers.
"The pool I was fishing in was frankly too small. The talent we have is good but there's not enough of them," she told the BBC.
"It's virtually impossible to attract experienced older talent into the service because they don't have time to climb the police ladder to the top jobs. We are saying goodbye to fresh talent and new ideas."
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