Eligibility
Before applying to join us, you should know some important information.
Policing is an extremely rewarding and fulfilling career however it does come with its challenges and demands, whatever role you are in. We know how important it is to be clear with what’s expected of you so if you have questions beyond what is outlined in the job vacancies or role profiles do get in touch with us.
There are some minimum entry requirements we will need in order for you to apply:
You can apply for any role from the age of 17 must you must be 18 on appointment. However, in short-listing applicants, we are looking for you to demonstrate competence in the essential skills outlined in the role profile which are not dependent upon age.
Please check the individual vacancy or job role as this will identify the qualifications and/or experience required.
You must be a British Citizen. If you’re from outside the UK, it’s essential that you have indefinite leave to enter or to remain in the UK. Due to changes in legislation, members of the European Economic Area (EAA) are now required to have ILR or EU settled status by the 30th June 2021.
If you are a Commonwealth Citizen or foreign national then your application should include a copy of your passport which shows your stay is free of restrictions. Other documentary evidence of your status may be required.
You will need to have been a resident in the UK for the last three years consecutively for RV Level roles and five years for MV Level roles. For more information on police vetting levels, please visit: Police vetting process | Join The Police
Convictions or cautions will not necessarily cause a problem for appointment. It will depend on their nature, the circumstances and when the offence was committed. Failure to disclose convictions or cautions will, however, result in your application being terminated.
You must declare all convictions or past offences, formal cautions by the police including those received as a juvenile (under 18) and a bind-over imposed by any court.
You should include traffic convictions such as speeding, drink-drive offences, fixed penalties for motoring or disorder offences and any appearances before a court-martial. You must declare any charge or summons currently outstanding against you.
You must include spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (by virtue of the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975) or any involvement with civil, military or transport police.
You must say if you have ever been involved in any criminal investigation whether or not this led to prosecution (either of yourself or others).
Some applicants do not declare information which they believe is no longer held on record. However, our enquiries will reveal historical incidents and failure to disclose these will lead to your application being rejected. If you have any doubts, include the details.
We will also search for criminal convictions or cautions recorded against your family, so you should inform them these enquiries will be made. Due to data protection, we will not be able to disclose the results of these enquiries to you.
We need to ensure that you are in good mental and physical health to carry out the role for which you have applied. A medical assessment is part of the recruitment process.
Any job offer will be subject to medical clearance. You will be asked to complete a pre-employment medical questionnaire. This information will be confidentially screened by our occupational health department who may ask for more information from your doctor and/or request a medical examination is completed before an offer of appointment is made.
Recruitment Process
Application Form
Shortlisting
Interviews / Assessments
Vetting, medical, fitness and reference checks
Confirmation of appointment
National Police Constable Recruitment Process
National sift
The national sift has been designed to allow you to demonstrate your suitability for entry to the next stage of the recruitment process. The national sift consists of two exercises:
- the situational judgement test (SJT)
- a behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ)
These exercises are used to assess capabilities, strengths and behaviours that are important within the role you have applied for. The competency and values framework (CVF) sets out the behaviours expected in policing. For the national sift, the competencies review criteria is set at level 1.
No prior policing knowledge is required to complete the national sift exercises. For more information and support, please review the candidate guidance: National sift candidate guidance.
Online assessment process
The College of Policing online assessment process (OAP) includes a selection of exercises used to assess candidates’ suitability for policing. These exercises are mandatory assessments designed specifically for initial police recruitment.
Throughout the exercises, you will be assessed against the competencies and values that are important for effective police constables. The competency and values framework (CVF) sets out the behaviours expected in policing. For initial police recruitment, the competencies review criteria is set at level 1.
The exercises you will complete as part of the OAP are:
- Competency-based interview (CBI) — you will answer questions about how you have handled specific past situations, demonstrating key competencies and values. You can use examples from work or personal life.
- Written exercise — assume the role of a police constable and complete an urgent written task for your line manager. You will be given four items of information to use in your response.
- Briefing exercise — act as a police constable dealing with issues presented to you and provide responses to a set of questions, using preparation materials provided. For more information, please review the candidate guidance: Online assessments candidate guide
In-force Interview
The in-force interview is an opportunity for the force meet you, get a sense of what you are like as a person, and for them to gather more information on your suitability for the role of a police constable. You will be interviewed by a panel who will ask you questions based on the College of Policing competency and values framework (CVF) for policing.
You will be asked a series of questions, followed by additional probing questions to further explore your initial answer.
You may be asked several different types of questions during your in-force interview, including:
- Past focused questions. These are questions that explore when you have done something before. For example, you might be asked to talk about a specific example of when you demonstrated a particular value or competency.
- Future focused questions. These are questions that explore what you might do in a specific situation. Your interviewers will outline a fictitious scenario and will want to know what you might do in that situation or what you may bring to the role. An example of a future focused question is: ‘If you disagreed with someone at work, what would you do?’
- Scenario-based questions: These are questions that present a hypothetical job-related situation where you will be asked to detail your intended behaviour in response to this situation. An example of a scenario-based question is: ‘A member of the public becomes verbally aggressive. How would you safely de-escalate the situation?