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Police officer: John

This Case Study belongs to Police officer.

I studied business and management at university but I lost interest with my initial career as it was mainly office bound. I wanted an active, physical job with fresh and unexpected challenges each day. Job satisfaction was also of great importance to me, which is why I applied to the police. I don’t feel that my degree has been influential in my job, but there's an accelerated promotion scheme for graduates where your ability to study would be useful.

The recruitment process is lengthy and includes aspects such as the application form with questions around the relevant skills that you have, role play scenarios, a fitness test and a final interview (to name a few!). The earlier you apply the better, but a lot depends on whether the force you want to work for are actively recruiting at the time when you want to apply.

There are numerous tasks I undertake as a police officer and the job is really diverse. People skills are paramount, whether you're dealing with a sudden death, interacting with a grieving family, or dealing with an urgent domestic incident, where people are being confrontational. There is a lot of paperwork required for any action taken too, and dealing with a prisoner can sometimes occupy you for the whole shift (for example interviewing, charging, liaising with the Crown Prosecution Service (CPS) , preparing the court file etc). In my opinion, the job isn't academically challenging but it is mentally challenging in terms of stress and having to do many things in limited time.

I feel that the job relies more on common sense than complex solutions. It often feels like you're doing a thankless job and sometimes no matter what action you take (or don't take), the public will criticise you. It's far more common to receive letters of complaint than letters of commendation. The hours can be very long, and I've worked up to 15 hours straight without a meal break on many occasions. For some, there can be an adverse effect on family and social life, so it's imperative that you're adaptable and willing to take this into account.

The role has recently undergone a period of change and there's a high degree of paperwork for most actions taken. Discretion has all but been eradicated in the job and officers can no longer deal with an incident as they see fit, but must seek advice from a sergeant in all situations, as well as the CPS if they want to charge an individual. This inevitably delays matters, and makes the prisoner handling procedure longer. Your role might also be affected by your chief constable - they often have their own ideas of how their force should operate.

As for getting on in the job, you must have a high degree of self-motivation. Many officers remain as a PC and move 'sideways' rather than being promoted through the ranks, i.e. through the different departments, such as the CID or road traffic. These moves require networking skills mainly, and can be easier than direct promotion such as to sergeant, where you must study and pass exams. Many officers don't want to pursue this as you must be goal-orientated and dedicate time to study.

Although I still enjoy the adrenaline of responding to incidents (i.e. blue light runs) and the car or foot chase, I'm now considering how to progress my career. I want a new challenge and whether this will be in the same role or in a new field of work I'm not sure. That said, you get a great sense of well-being as a police officer when you identify and arrest a prolific offender, who later gets brought to charge. This is especially true if there's a vulnerable victim, who you can support and who appreciates your work.

Case Study sourced by Linda Holdsworth of University of Bradford, 08 March 2008.