Police

Police officers help to keep law and order, investigate and prevent crime. They work with statutory and non-statutory organisations to achieve this aim. Having completed your training and gained experience there are numerous career routes that you could specialise in.

Discover the routes you could take

If you feel policing is a career for you, please take this quiz which will help you consider your motivations and understanding of what being a police officer involves.

There are six main pathways:

• Operational Support – Officers with a wide range of specialist skills
• Intelligence – Build a picture of criminal activity to support local and national
• Investigations – Warranted detective officers and civilian staff who conduct serious and complex criminal investigations
• Road Policing – Keeping the road network safe
• Neighbourhood Policing – Policing in a local community
• Response Policing – respond to emergency and non-emergency calls from the public

More information on the main pathways into policing

There are also three separate special forces:

• Ministry of Defence - Protect sites of national importance.
• British Transport Police – Protecting Railways and Depots.
• Civil Nuclear Constabulary – Deter threat to nuclear material

To achieve promotion from constable to inspector, there are a series of examinations you must sit and pass. If you would like to read more about this, please see the National Police Promotion Framework.

Specialist Police Forces

Several specialist police forces in the United Kingdom have separate recruitment paths:

• British Transport Police
• Civil Nuclear Constabulary (CNC)
  
• Ministry of Defence Police

National Police Forces

• Police Service of Northern Ireland
• Police Scotland
• South Wales Police
• North Wales Police

Related Organisations

• National Crime Agency (NCA)
  The NCA is a non-ministerial civil service department, operationally independent and accountable to Parliament through the Home Secretary. It is a law enforcement agency focused on disrupting and neutralizing serious and organized crime.

• Regional Organised Crime Unit (ROCU)
  The ROCUs were established to manage cross-border serious and organized crime (SOC), where traditional police forces were often hampered by offenders crossing territorial boundaries. The ROCU network works closely with the National Crime Agency, police forces, and other partners to identify, disrupt, and tackle the increasingly complex threat posed by organized crime.

• National Cyber Security Centre (NCSC)
  The NCSC, part of GCHQ, works to protect the public, businesses, and the government from cyber threats.

• GCHQ
  GCHQ is a world-leading intelligence, cyber, and security agency, tasked by the UK government to keep the UK and its citizens safe.

• MI5
  MI5 works to protect the UK from a range of national security threats.

• Secret Intelligence Service (MI6)
  MI6 operates overseas to make the UK a safer and more prosperous place.

• Border Force
  Border Force is part of the Home Office, responsible for securing the UK border 24 hours a day, 365 days a year by enforcing immigration and customs regulations.

Gaining experience of working with the public for example volunteering with individuals or groups in the community that is through sports coaching or youth groups, is a skill highly valued by the police and you can do this in many different ways.

• Check out our work experience pages.
• Sport for Good Nottingham - Sport for Good Nottingham is a programme that uses the power of sport to drive real social change in the local community
• Find local volunteering opportunities through the Nottingham Community and Voluntary Service.
• Get involved in the Police Cadets
• Volunteer as a Special Constable or Police Support Volunteer, apply through your local force.
• Join a relevant SU society
• Get involved with your local Forces Independent Advisory Group, or consultations on specific issues, where community representatives meet with their local force to provide a community perspective.
• Citizens in Policing have volunteering roles for the public to support their local Force

Find out which forces are recruiting currently here: Who’s recruiting? and sign up for updates from your preferred police force.

Other relevant job boards include:

• Bluelinejobs
• Joining the Police
• Police Oracle Jobs
• Police Scotland Recruitment
• Police Service Northern Ireland Jobs
• Civil Service
• All Police Jobs

Before you apply there are some specific eligibility criteria to be aware of:

• Aged 18+

• Be a British citizen, or a foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK, without restrictions. Resident for at least the last three years.

• Be in good health: medical, eyesight and fitness tests are compulsory.

• Certain criminal convictions/debt problems can exclude you.

All recruitment into the police is based around their Competency and Values Framework so becoming familiar with this and working on developing these things is really important. You can find out more from the College of Policing.

The recruitment process usually involves some kind of online assessment and assessment centre, including a written assessment, situational judgement tests and competency based questions. You can gain practice of different types of recruitment processes through the events advertised on MyCareer or by accessing Graduates First and ECareersGrad.

Understanding the current issues and challenges facing the police is important if this is a career you want to pursue, so:

• Follow relevant national bodies on social media for example, UK Home Office; Police Now Graduates
• Follow your local force on social media to understand it’s structures and key challenges.
• Network with people doing the job – you never know what it will lead to, but it will certainly increase your understanding of the realities of the role.

• Police.uk - National website for policing in England, Wales and Northern Ireland
• Police Now - Find out more about their graduate programme.
• Prospects - Law enforcement and security sector.
• Prospects Police officer job profile
• Police Federation - The Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) is the staff association for police constables, sergeants and inspectors
• Ministry of Defence - Protect sites, people and assets essential to Defence and national infrastructure
• College of Policing - Policing Professional Body. Check out the latest sector research and careers advice.
• Police Information - One-stop shop and information centre for Police, Security and Criminal Justice sector workers