Police officers

You should consider whether you can: 

• Deal with the complex and sensitive cases, requiring clear reasoning and evidence gathering.
• Think on your feet – problem solving and responding to new challenges.
• Develop new skills as data and technology become ever more important to policing.
• Work well with colleagues as part of an effective team.
• Have great people skills, remaining calm and patient with members of the public, particularly in stressful or volatile situations.
• Handle traumatic situations and be able to communicate information sensitively.
• Be decisive and use your police powers appropriately.
• Give clear and accurate evidence in court.
• Work shifts, nights and weekends (including public holidays).
• Be flexible about where you work - you might not work in your preferred location.
• Be willing and able to meet the academic demands and deadlines throughout the programme.  

You’ll receive training and support throughout your career to help you manage the demands of policing, but it’s important to be sure that becoming a police officer is right for you.

Take this quiz to find out if a career as a police officer might be right for you.

Some say the best things in life come to those who wait….we need to ensure this role meets your expectations and that you meet ours, and so the application process to join the police can be a lengthy one, as it has six key stages.

_{Stage 1: Online application form}

By clicking the link to apply, you will start your application form. There are two stages to complete: an eligibility check and if successful, you will be asked to complete further application form details.  Once you have submitted the form, the Recruitment Support Team will check your application to ensure that we have all the information we require and confirm that you are eligible to apply. In particular, we will check that you have included your relevant qualifications, drivers license and tattoos/address history ect...

_{Stage 2: National SIFT – Situational Judgment Test (SJT) and Behaviour Style Questionnaire (BSQ)}

If eligible to apply, you will be sent an automated invitation email for you to complete an online National Sift process involving two exercises:

• Situational judgement test (SJT)
• 15 scenarios
• 4 responses per scenario – candidates will rate responses in terms of effectiveness
• Behavioural style questionnaire (BSQ)  
• 80 statements

As this is a nationally led selection process, you will be required to register on the system separately, however it is an extremely short registration process!

You will have 7 days to complete the exercises.  These can be completed in any order you prefer, and at any time of day, 24/7, during that time.   

Reasonable Adjustments: The national sift is not timed, therefore no reasonable adjustments are required.  It is automatically compatible with text to speech software, changes to background colour and coloured overlays.

If you are unsuccessful you will be provided with feedback and will be eligible to re-apply after three months, however, you are only able to complete the national sift twice within a rolling 12 month period.

_{Stage 3: Online assessment centre}

For more information on these stages, see the Candidate Journey below. If successful at each stage, you will progress to the next one.

Required technology

You can complete the exercises on any internet-enabled device with a camera (laptop, tablet or mobile phone), but to ensure full compatibility with the LaunchPad online platform, the following should be set up:

• Your operating system should be Windows 7 (or higher) or Mac OS 10.11 (or higher)
• Your browser should be the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari (Apple products only)
• You should have the latest version of Adobe Flash installed, and you require a webcam and microphone to record responses.

_{The below links come from the College and can provide more guidence on the above two steps:}

Sift and online assessment process | College of Policing

https://youtu.be/x67v8nHWEf8?si=NToV0Cf5Nuu67lor

Online assessment process candidate guidance v3.3

_{Stage 4: In person Interview}

Applicants will be asked to attend a meeting with representatives of the force.  You will be asked a variety of interview questions which are based of our competencies and are provided by the College of Polcing.

If successful at the interview, you will start your pre-employment checks. These can take around eight to twelve weeks to complete, but this can vary for each applicant. You will be required to complete a medical questionnaire, eyesight test form and online vetting forms in advance.

The pre-employment checks require applicants to attend the following appointments:

• Medical appointment with our Occupational Health team who will review your completed medical questionnaire and eyesight test form and complete height and weight, lung capacity and hearing tests.
• You will also be asked to take your completed medical form to your GP for sign off which can come with a cost however this is at discression of your induvidual GP (we will not reinburse you for this cost)
• Drug screening
• Job related fitness test
• Uniform fitting
• Biometrics clearance – You will be invited to an appointment where mandatory biometric vetting (DNA and fingerprints) is taken and screened

Whilst these appointments are in progress, the Recruitment Support Team will request employment references, and the Vetting Unit will assess your suitability by performing security checks on you and your family members.

_{Stage 6: Offer of employment}

Once you have successfully completed all of these stages, you will be placed on a waiting list to be offered the post of Student Police Officer as part of our next cohort of students.

There are a number of options available including: degree entry, non-degree entry and transferee routes. Find out more about each route below: