Police officer
Police officers work in partnership with the communities they serve to maintain law and order, protect members of the public and their property, prevent crime, reduce the fear of crime and improve the quality of life for all citizens. They use a wide range of technology to protect individuals, identify the perpetrators of crime and ensure successful prosecutions against those who break the law.
Key priorities for the 52 police forces in the UK include maintaining public order through combating organised crime, countering the threat of terrorism, and acting against antisocial behaviour.
Police officers work closely with members of the criminal justice system, social workers, schools, local businesses, health trusts, housing authorities, town planners and community groups to provide advice, education and assistance to those who wish to reduce crime or have been affected by crime.
The work of a police officer is both challenging and diverse. A variety of specialist roles are available to constables who have completed their probationary period and their Diploma in Police Service Leadership and Management (Scotland), their Higher Education Certificate in Policing (Northern Ireland), or their Diploma in Policing (England and Wales).
On entry, and during initial training, activities are likely to include:
Salary figures are intended as a guide only.
There are no formal educational requirements for entry to the police service. The profession is open to graduates, those with an HND qualification and non-graduates alike. Recruitment and selection procedures are managed by police forces at a local level, although a nationally agreed competency-based framework is applied.
Entry is open to British and Commonwealth citizens, EC/EEA citizens and foreign nationals who have no restrictions on their leave to remain in the UK.
Pre-entry experience is not essential, although it is advantageous to have some experience of working with individuals or groups in the community, such as sports coaching or working with local youth groups.
Other useful experience might be as a volunteer, such as in the Metropolitan Police’s Volunteer Police Cadets . You can also volunteer to be a police community support officer or a special constable.
Special constables are volunteers who receive expenses and, after full training, have the same powers as a regular police constable. They are generally used to ensure public safety at major events or in combating city centre crime and disorder. Positions are available throughout the UK.
When applying, it is important to be able to explain your reasons for choosing a career in the police force, and provide details of any contacts made within the service. You should be able to demonstrate knowledge of the local force, the area which it covers, its senior officers, its structure and key challenges.
Candidates will need to show evidence of the following:
Prospective entrants complete the initial application form which is assessed and scored against entrance criteria. Candidates are asked to provide personal details, including the names of family members and associates, details of participation in youth organisations and groups, interests, sports and special skills they may have for the position.
If this application is positive, the next stage is an assessment centre comprising a series of tests and an interview. Successful applicants are then required to complete a medical history questionnaire and pass job-related fitness and medical tests. Appointments are then made, subject to references and security clearance.
In Scotland, candidates follow the application form with a Standard Entrance Test which measures literacy, numeracy and information handling skills, and an initial fitness test. This is followed by an initial interview with recruitment sergeants, vetting procedures and a final in-depth interview before undertaking a full medical and a final fitness test.
In Northern Ireland, potential officers follow an application form with initial selection tests. Before being offered a training position, they are required to attend an assessment centre and undergo a medical examination, during which the police vetting process begins.
People with minor convictions and/or cautions are not automatically precluded from entry to the police service, although certain offences and conditions will make you ineligible, so check with your local force. Details of spent convictions, as defined by the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 , must be disclosed.
More information on recruitment is available from the Home Office's Police Recruitment website, the Scottish Police College , the Police Service of Northern Ireland and Police-Recruitment.co.uk .
For more information, see work experience and internships and search courses and research.
All probationary police constables in England and Wales undertake an extensive and professional training programme known as the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP), leading to the Level 3 Diploma in Policing (QCF), during their first two years of service. The Diploma replaces the previous NVQ in Policing Levels 3 and 4. Individual forces are responsible for the local implementation and delivery of the IPLDP and the emphasis is on local community involvement and a flexible timetable. The IPLDP is divided into four training phases which cover the completion of the Diploma. The precise name and length of each phase varies slightly between forces, but the IPLDP curriculum is generally divided as follows:
Continuing professional development (CPD) and ongoing training are important. Annual performance and development reviews (PDRs) assess and monitor the progress of police officers to ensure that their professional skills are kept up to date and that they are abreast of the demands of a constantly changing work environment.
In Scotland, the Probationer Training Programme lasts for 104 weeks. During the first 64 weeks, probationers are assessed both in the operational environment and academically at the Scottish Police College . The remaining time is served in force under continued supervision, followed by a Diploma in Police Service Leadership and Management which takes a further 18 months.
In Northern Ireland, the initial 21- week Student Officer Training Programme (SOTP) based at Police College, Garnerville, leads to a Higher Education Certificate in Policing. If probationers successfully complete this stage, they will undergo a two-year probation period, including ten weeks with a tutor constable, three weeks' driver training, training in public order and the use of firearms, and continual assessment including physical competency tests.
Police officers are required to undertake ongoing training and emphasis is placed on regular supervision, guidance and support. All police constables must complete a two-year probationary period, after which there are a wide variety of career opportunities available.
The police force has a clearly defined rank structure for officers:
After successful completion of the probationary period, constables are eligible to apply to work in specialist units such as the criminal investigation department (CID), fraud squad, drugs squad, fire arms, child protection, traffic, mounted branches, dog handlers, and underwater search units.
In England, officers can take qualifying examinations for promotion to sergeant and similar examinations or assessment days for progression from sergeant to inspector. There are no qualifying examinations to ranks above inspector and promotion is by selection only. In Scotland, promotion is by application and assessment centre for the ranks of sergeant and inspector.
The Police High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS) in England, Wales and Northern Ireland and the Accelerated Careers Development Programme (ACDP) in Scotland are designed to identify and develop the future leaders of the police service. Training and support are available to help individuals to move through the ranks into senior positions within the force. Promotion is not automatic and depends on the individual's own efforts.
Candidates applying for these schemes must demonstrate a real commitment to operational policing as well as having the ability to assimilate knowledge, provide leadership and make effective decisions. Candidates must be accepted as constables through the usual route and complete both probation and post-probation qualifications before being promoted to sergeant.
Application may be made concurrently with the standard application although many complete their initial probation period before applying. Entry to the scheme is by application form, a written exercise and a situational judgement test. There then follows an assessment centre with individual and group exercises, an in-depth interview and a ten-minute presentation by the candidate. An in-depth knowledge of policing is not required because the process tests for leadership potential not knowledge.
The assessment process is intended to test for potential in:
After successfully completing the scheme, it is possible to attain the rank of chief inspector within seven years. It is possible for constables to attain higher ranks without being on the scheme but it does provide a wide-ranging training on operational and strategic policing which allows you to progress even higher in the command structure.
There are currently 43 police forces in England and Wales - a list is available from the Association of Police Authorities (APA) - and they employ around 140,000 police officers, 18,000 volunteer special constables and 15,800 community support officers.
There are eight police forces in Scotland overseen by the Scottish Police Services Authority . Full details are available from Scottish Police Forces . Northern Ireland has a single police force.
Chief constables report to local police authorities (known as the Policing Board (NIPB) in Northern Ireland), which are independent statutory bodies identifying the strategic direction of police services. Pay, conditions of service and discipline are regulated by the Home Office , the Scottish Government Justice Department or the Police Service of Northern Ireland .
Specialist forces, such as the British Transport Police , the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) , operate in their own areas in a similar way to local forces.
Roles also arise within the National Policing Improvement Agency (NPIA) , which is responsible for providing support in areas such as information and communications technology and national training and development programmes for future generations of police staff.
The government-owned Forensic Science Service (FSS) has now been closed due to financial difficulties and will be replaced in England and Wales by various private-sector contractors and police laboratories. In Scotland, the Forensic Science Services is provided by the Scottish Police Services Authority with four forensic science laboratories, in Aberdeen, Dundee, Edinburgh and Glasgow. Forensic Science Northern Ireland (FSNI) is a government executive agency within the Department of Justice.
Recruitment agencies, such as Police Vacancies , All Police Jobs and Police Information advertise roles for police officers who want to transfer services and for retired officers. Some support roles are advertised via Civil Service Jobs .
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