Police officers help to prevent crime and disorder, and uphold the law. Their role is to help keep communities safe, prevent people from committing crimes and bring offenders to justice. The police are often first on the scene when an incident has occurred, providing a trained and reassuring presence.
A uniformed police officer may be involved in:
Police officers are assigned to incidents by control room operators, but their role is not simply one of reacting to events. Police officers also spend time forging links with people in the community and gathering important information, which may help prevent crimes from being committed.
They are usually assigned to a geographical area, which they patrol on foot or in a marked police car, either alone or with other police colleagues.
Police officers may have to face the unpleasant aftermath of a serious road accident or an assault. They frequently liaise with emergency workers such as fire officers, paramedics and hospital staff.
Many police officers work in specialist departments such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and road policing, as well as, for example, in drugs, fraud, firearms and stolen vehicle units. In some forces they may be able to work in dog handling, the mounted branch, air support or underwater search units.
The police force is operational 24 hours a day, seven days a week. Most police officers work 40 hours a week, split into early, late and night shifts, including weekends and public holidays. Requests for part-time and flexible working hours can often be negotiated, although this is up to individual forces and may depend on the number of staff available for cover and operational requirements.
Police officers are based at a police station, but the work largely involves being outside in all weathers on foot or in a car, or visiting people in their homes or offices. In some situations, they may need to spend hours outdoors in the cold, rain or heat.
Police officers wear a uniform provided by the police force.
A police officer's salary starts at around £21,000 a year. Rates of pay for police officers vary depending on which force they work for. Officers in some forces receive extra allowances on top of their salaries.
There are 43 police forces in England and Wales, eight Scottish police forces and the Police Service of Northern Ireland. There are opportunities with the regional police forces as well as with non-geographic forces such as the:
There are 140,000 police officers in the UK. Each police force is responsible for its own recruitment and training.
Applicants must be British citizens or nationals of the European Union or European Economic Area. Other foreign nationals with no restrictions to stay in the UK may also apply.
There are no set educational entry requirements. Young people can apply at the age of 18. Some life experience is a real advantage, particularly working with people in some capacity. Some people volunteer as special constables or work as police community support officers before applying to join the regular service.
There are several relevant qualifications, including:
- BTEC First Diploma in Public Services
- NVQ/SVQ Level 2 in Public Services
- BTEC National Diploma in Public Services (Uniformed)
The selection procedure includes medical, eyesight and fitness tests, as well as tests of literacy and numeracy. Applicants are also tested in scenario exercises, where they are assessed in core skills, such as communication, problem solving and decision making. References and security checks are carried out, although someone who has a conviction for a minor criminal or driving offence will not necessarily be rejected. There are no height restrictions.
Policing and crime subjects can be studied part time and full time on college and university courses, such as:
Foundation degrees in public services, police studies and emergency services.
Degrees in subjects such as policing, police sciences, criminology and criminal justice.
Student officer training involves a combination of classroom-based study and uniformed experience, working in the community. Student officers have the opportunity to go out on patrol in local areas on foot and in cars. Once they are ready, they go on independent patrol, but are still supervised and assessed by experienced sergeants. During training, student officers also spend some time on attachment to road policing and CID.
Training takes place over approximately two years and there is an Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP) used in all 43 forces in England and Wales.
Student officer training covers areas such as:
Many forces also offer NVQ/SVQ qualifications or Foundation degrees upon successful completion of student officer training.
Oil Drilling Roustabouts and Roughnecks work as part of a small team on offshore oil or gas drilling rigs or production platforms. Roustabouts do unskilled manual labouring jobs on rigs and platforms, and Roughneck is a promotion from roustabout.
Roustabouts do basic tasks to help keep the rig and platform working efficiently and Roughnecks do practical tasks involved in the drilling operation, under the supervision of the driller.
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Police officers need to be:
The police service has a clear structure. Promotion to the ranks of police sergeant and inspector is by examination and interview. For ranks more senior than inspector, officers must demonstrate they have the personal and professional skills at competitive promotion boards.
Many police officers remain at the rank of constable, widening their experience by joining specialist departments such as CID or road policing. There is a wide range of specialisms within the police service, although not all are offered by every police force.
The High Potential Development (HPD) scheme operates in police forces in England, Wales and Northern Ireland. There are no restrictions on application and the scheme accelerates an individual's career path, with graduate or postgraduate study forming an important part of the scheme. In Scotland, the Accelerated Promotion Scheme is aimed at graduate entrants.
Police officers may be able to transfer to other forces to gain promotion. Some police officers move into training roles.
Civil Nuclear Constabulary,
Culham Science Centre, Abingdon,
Oxfordshire OX14 3DB
Tel: 01235 466711
Website: www.cnc.police.uk
British Transport Police,
25 Camden Road, London NW1 9LN
Website: www.btp.police.uk
College of Policing
Website: www.recruit.college.police.uk
The Police Service of Northern Ireland,
The Consensia Partnership, PO Box 268,
Belfast BT1 5PH.
Websites: www.psni.police.uk
and www.selectnip.org