Police Officer
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Police officers serve their local community by working to protect people and property against crime, detecting offenders and taking a lead in dealing with emergencies. After training, all officers begin work as uniformed constables on the beat, on foot or in a patrol car, where they are the first point of contact with the public. They must be prepared to deal with whatever comes along, from attending scenes of accidents, searching for missing people and responding to emergency calls, to making arrests, sorting out street fights, taking statements and attending large public gatherings. The work can mean being outside in all weathers, sometimes in unpleasant and potentially dangerous situations.
They are also involved in some office and court-related work, including preparing reports and taking statements, escorting prisoners and giving evidence.
At the end of their two-year probationary period, constables can choose to specialise, although they may opt to stay as beat constables for the whole of their career.
Entry level
You must be at least 18 years old, in excellent health and physically fit, and you would have to pass the Police Initial Recruitment Test. This is a three-stage test that lasts two hours. In Scotland, you would take the Scottish Police Standard Entrance Examination.
You must be a British, EU or Commonwealth citizen or a foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom.
There are no height restrictions and no specific educational requirements but you must have good eyesight, including normal colour vision. Glasses or contact lenses may be acceptable but you must have reasonable unaided vision.
Making the grade
Your training would begin with a 12- to18-week residential training course (depending on the force) at a police national training centre. There are several of these in England and Wales, plus Tulliallan Castle in Scotland and Garnerville in Northern Ireland). The course includes learning about the law, understanding the criminal mind and treating people fairly. It also includes strenuous physical activity and self-defence.
You would then spend up to ten weeks at a local police station under the supervision of an experienced tutor-constable. After a further period of training, you would be allowed to patrol on your own. In Scotland, you would spend up to a year under supervision before returning to the National Training Centre for a further six-week residential training course.
Personal qualities
Police officers must be unfailingly honest, with a mature attitude and a high level of social awareness. When on duty, you would have to stay alert and observant at all times. You should be decisive, able to remain calm in threatening situations, yet capable of reacting quickly and taking action on your own initiative. You must also be willing to accept discipline and able to work in a team.
You would need courage and physical fitness to deal with incidents and disturbances, and mental strength to cope with difficult tasks such as delivering bad news to bereaved relatives.
Good written communication skills are essential for recording details of incidents and arrests that may later be used in court. Good spoken communication is needed both for dealings with the public and for giving evidence in court.
Looking ahead
After your initial probationary period, you can seek to specialise in areas such as criminal investigation, dog handling, mounted police, river police, traffic, underwater search or scenes of crime. Not all forces have mounted police or underwater search units, however, and there is no guarantee that opportunities will be available in a particular specialism.
Your first promotion would be to the rank of sergeant, which you could achieve within about five years by passing a promotion exam and being recommended by senior officers. The police promotion policy provides everyone with the same opportunities. If you are ambitious, you can apply for the High Potential Development Scheme (in England, Wales and Northern Ireland), which provides a fast-track route to some of the most challenging work within the police service. The Scottish equivalent is the Accelerated Promotion Scheme, although you must have a degree to qualify for this.
Alternative suggestions
You may wish to consider training in one of the other branches of the police service, including British Transport, UK Atomic Energy and the Ministry of Defence police. If you are interested in the psychological aspects of crime then perhaps criminology is for you. You might also be interested in working for the other emergency services as firefighter careers or ambulance paramedic, or for the armed services in the army, navy or air force.
Take-home pay
Constables start on £19,227, which rises to £21,462 on successful completion of initial training, and reaches £30,186 after 12 years. Salaries on promotion depend on the rank and length of service. Uniform and equipment are provided.
London officers receive additional allowances.
A sergeant earns a minimum of £30,186, while an inspector earns a minimum of £38,679.
Effects
You would usually work an eight-hour day or night on a three-shift system, with two days rest each week. The work involves spending much of your time outdoors in all weathers, sometimes in very difficult and unpleasant conditions such as at traffic accidents or serious crimes.
Sources of information
Police Resources Unit: www.police.uk
Police recruitment England and Wales: www.policecouldyou.co.uk
Police Service of Northern Ireland: www.psni.police.uk
Police forces in Scotland: www.scottish.police.uk
British Transport Police: www.btp.police.uk
Ministry of Defence Police: www.mod.uk/DefenceInternet/Home/
UK Atomic Energy Authority: www.ukaea.org.uk
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