Steps to Take for a Career as a Police Office
Fighting crime is an enormously rewarding job, making communities safer. This article will give you advice on the steps you need to take to have a career as a police officer in England and Wales.
Unique Set of Skills and Personal Characteristics
- Qualifications and Experience – It takes a special person to become a police officer, and you will require a unique set of skills and personal characteristics. If you are still studying, then it goes without saying, but the harder you can study to achieve the best grades you can, the better. But, if you left school a number of years ago and did not do as well academically as you would have liked all is not lost, because the police force takes into account life experience too, as well as qualifications. If you have good work experience and a strong passion to become a police officer, this is still within your grasp.
- Mental and Physical Fitness – You will need to pass fitness training and mental exams as a new police recruit, this is because the job is physically and mentally draining. You need to be able to chase after and restrain criminals and be able to mentally cope with some challenging situations. It could be sensible to ensure you are as physically in shape as possible before applying, by joining a gym or getting a fitness trainer. If you think mentally that you are not in a good place, then it would be best to wait until you are, before you apply.
Apply for a Basic DBS Check
If you have a criminal record, you may be unlikely to be accepted as a trainee police officer; clearly, they want people to fight crime, not commit it. If you have committed a minor crime a long time ago in the past, or you have any doubts about whether you have had offences, then requesting a Basic DBS would allow you to see this, and give you peace of mind should none show, to know that your police application would not be completely disqualified. If you have a minor conviction in the past, this will not necessarily prevent you from becoming a police officer, your case would be individually assessed by the board recruiting to the police training course.
If you are accepted onto a police training course – you will then be asked to complete the most thorough DBS Check that can be done, which is an Enhanced DBS with Barred List. You cannot apply for this yourself, the police as your employer would apply for this for you. This Enhanced DBS with Barred List will check for spent and unspent convictions, warnings, reprimands, cautions, locally held police information, and whether you appear on any of the governments barred lists, which would make you unsuited to work with children or vulnerable adults (and unsuited to being a police officer).
Be 100% Honest on Your Application
Being a police officer is an occupation whereby trust, honesty and integrity could not be more important. Never embellish your CV or application, do not tell any lies, or exaggerate the truth about job competencies or responsibilities. Ensure that all the information you put on your application is one hundred percent truthful. If you were found to have told any lies on your application, this would be grounds for immediate disqualification. It is worth triple checking all information you put on your form regarding dates for education and work, and qualifications received.
To conclude, be as best prepared as you can before applying to be a police officer. Ensure you are physically and mentally fit. Be certain that your application is accurate. If successful in your application, you would study for two years before becoming a Police Constable (PC).
