Joining the Police

OP

Bleep test, dear god I am screwed :frown:

Better start practising

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Reply 2

OP

I want to help society by ridding them of criminals, and I worked in a lawyers office, which was always my original aim, money motivated that, and it was awful, all upper class people in suits talking jargon, ad suddenly I realised I didn't want to go down that road, no matter the pay, and then the other day me and two cops chased a thief out of my shop, and I got to him first and knocked him over and held him down whilst the guy nicked him, and it was one of the best feelings ever. I almost got fired, and in hindsight probably was lucky not to be arrested myself, but it made me think, I could be one of those guys, and so it sparked an interest, and the worst of society are tackled by CO19, and they're the people I want to help rid the streets of.

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Reply 3

Drewski

If a bleep test puts you off there's no way in hell you'll make CO19... It is to the Met what the SAS is to the regular Army. You've got a huge amount of time. You can improve massively on the bleep test in a month if you actually work at it.

Reply 4

OP

Are those requirements going to be the same for being a Special Constable? I looked at he Special Constable thing but they only say "in good health" now that could mean physical health, or just not on deaths door?

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Reply 5

InnerTemple

20

The test that you were linked to above is the standard entry test. For specialist depts, such as CO19, there will be stricter requirements. I wouldn't worry too much though, since you have plenty of time to work on your fitness. The following two documents are useful:

http://www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/media/pdf/fitforthejob_2012.pdf
http://www.google.co.uk/url?sa=t&rct=j&q=fitness_test.doc&source=web&cd=5&ved=0CD0QFjAE&url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.metpolicecareers.co.uk%2Fmedia%2Fdoc%2Ffitness_test.doc&ei=XYhjUPrwEYfGswbM-YGQBw&usg=AFQjCNH-p2a9pI6-AvAGF-QKy4QiaAAVzA&cad=rja

Also, consider the current recruitment problems at the moment. By the time you are ready to join, we do not know what the situation will be. However think of things you can do now to improve your chances: think about joining the specials or doing some sort of volunteer work to help your application.

Most forces have a fitness test for the specials - if you check the recruitment process info for each force, it should mention a fitness test. The requirements are usually the same as those for regulars.

(edited 11 years ago)

Reply 6

Drewski

Original post by Dan1000

Are those requirements going to be the same for being a Special Constable? I looked at he Special Constable thing but they only say "in good health" now that could mean physical health, or just not on deaths door?

Well, put it this way, imagine if they have two candidates, both equally matched in everything, but one noticeably fitter than the other. Who do you think is the more likely to be chosen for a role that has the potential to involve physicality?...

Start getting fit now. Not only is it potentially going to help you in your career path, but it's better for you generally. Get some trainers and get out running 3 times a week.

Reply 7

Llamageddon

18

For god sake don't tell them you want to join co19 at the interview. Law degree is fine, join the specials during it, get your name known around the station (in a positive way), then apply in the last ~8 months of your degree because that's around how long the process takes.

Most people I know in armed response are ex-army. I doubt it's mandatory but it either influences a persons choices or influences their ability to get the transfer.

Original post by Drewski

Well, put it this way, imagine if they have two candidates, both equally matched in everything, but one noticeably fitter than the other. Who do you think is the more likely to be chosen for a role that has the potential to involve physicality?...

Start getting fit now. Not only is it potentially going to help you in your career path, but it's better for you generally. Get some trainers and get out running 3 times a week.

Tons of fat people in the specials. It's really not difficult to get into. If they have GCSE's in maths and english they'll pass the entrance exam, if they prepare for the interview they'll do fine and nobody fails training.

Those sorts of specials are there to put the big yellow jacket on at events though. The people who get on with response teams are the ones who are either strong or fast.

Reply 8

squirtchy

6

Original post by Llamageddon

For god sake don't tell them you want to join co19 at the interview. Law degree is fine, join the specials during it, get your name known around the station (in a positive way), then apply in the last ~8 months of your degree because that's around how long the process takes.

Most people I know in armed response are ex-army. I doubt it's mandatory but it either influences a persons choices or influences their ability to get the transfer. Tons of fat people in the specials. It's really not difficult to get into. If they have GCSE's in maths and english they'll pass the entrance exam, if they prepare for the interview they'll do fine and nobody fails training.

Those sorts of specials are there to put the big yellow jacket on at events though. The people who get on with response teams are the ones who are either strong or fast.

Becoming a special is a must if you want to join the met, the met only recruit from their PCSOs and Special Constables, it's also a good thing to do to see if you're really cut out for the job, i've just started training as a special in essex, with the intention of trying to join the regs when they recruit!

CO19 would be a very popular so because of the number of applicants i dare say they'd get, they can be picky about who they pick, you really need to stand out above the rest!

I can't really say a law degree would help you tbh, when i was in 6th form last year looking at unis, when i explained i wanted to become part of the CId some day, they laughed off a law degree and recommended i did law and criminology or something with law, as law itself is mainly for if you want to be a barrister and a lot of the law you would learn would not be applied in the police service.

Honestly, join your local specials!!!

Reply 9

squirtchy

6

Original post by Dan1000

Are those requirements going to be the same for being a Special Constable? I looked at he Special Constable thing but they only say "in good health" now that could mean physical health, or just not on deaths door?

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When i did my special constable training, my fitness guy said he'd never had someone fail, unless you're on your last leg dying, you'd be hard pushed to fail as fitness :tongue:

Reply 10

Heather shore

In the Isle of Man where I live to get in either as a special or a student, the fitness tests are the same and it's apparently pretty easy to pass. i dont know if its the same on the mainland but over here the fitness test involves the bleep test, pushing/pulling 35kg and a grip test but it is the stages after that also test your fitness and are a lot harder too.

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Reply 11

Balloon Baboon

A quick question just out of curiosity; SCO19 is for London - what's the equivalent to the rest of the UK? (I.E the north)

Reply 12

poa09cp

If you can't pass the basic fitness test for the specials, you need a doctor!

They are talking (in Kent and South Yorkshire, anyway) about improving it, though, so keep an eye out.

I was a special in South Yorkshire, though, and you do need to be fairly fit. You'll rumble along day after day with nothing happening, and then it'll all hit the fan at once and you'd end up wrestling with like five people. And the minute your colleagues realise you're not fit enough for this, they don't trust you, and it breaks down. I saw it happen to a lot of specials. Healthy women are (generally) fast enough, and need strength; vice versa for men.

Join your specials, or by the time you come to join the regulars, it's likely nowhere will take people without previous policing experience. It's already headed down that road. And don't mention wanting to join CO19 until you're done training, or (if your instructors are owt like mine!) you'll be ribbed for the rest of it as the knuckle-dragging jarhead!

(Ironically, Lee, I haven't a clue what we officially called it! :biggrin:

Armed response or firearms, that was all I ever heard.)

Reply 13

joe1545

14

My brothers just come out of Yr 12 getting bad grades in all his subjects, C D E i think, and hes just joined the police force, he got his warrant card today after completing his training, that shows that grades doesnt mean any thing, tbh i dont really know why you want to do a law degree in leeds then become a police officer. Being a police officer seems pretty calm financially, free public transport where ever, free uniform, get to choose where you work, and the training doesnt create thousands of pounds of debt.

And then once he does his two years he then chooses his specialility which could be fire arms or what not.

Personally i dont know why you're doing a law degree :s-smilie:

Reply 14

OP

In case I don't like the Police or fail getting in, I can just become a solicitor instead

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Reply 15

Heather shore

I'm like that too! I want to be a police officer and I know you don't need a degree but Incase they arn't recruiting or I don't like it etc then having a degree is going to give me a better chance of getting a job

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Reply 16

Jon1234567

Original post by Heather shore

I'm like that too! I want to be a police officer and I know you don't need a degree but Incase they arn't recruiting or I don't like it etc then having a degree is going to give me a better chance of getting a job

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Hi, to the guys wishing to join the police with the intention to join firearms, great but it's a long drawn out process. Yes a law degree will definitely help you these days with most forces either only taking on new recruits through graduate schemes or internal applicants, it will stand you in good stead anyway.

But firearms or co19 for those of you talking about the met police, because co19 is only the met specialist firearms team code name. You must do a number of years as a frontline officer before being considered and its a selection/application process to become an authorised firearms officer AFO. You have to be mentally and physically fit! Trust me if your not, your waisting your time. It's not a case of blagging interviews, or becoming fit for a day or so to get through and then dropping your fitness levels again. Very few make it, it's a tough job the selection and specialist recruitment is designed to fail the people they don't want or need. You get one chance too and it's ongoing and I mean ongoing constant assessments. Then you will get asked the ultimate question, can you kill a human being someone's daughter, mother, wife, not so easy now? People I know wanted to become an AFO to walk around with an MP5 sub machine gun to look good needless to say they never got through. I'm 29 and I was a CO19 officer for 4 years and a PC for 5 years before that. I resigned last year (2012) it's a great job guys but its never going to be the most glamorous job in the world or have the support needed to run a police force in the 21st Centry.

Reply 17

pizzle223

15

(Which I think is crazzzzzyyy!!!!) He knows the law (well studied it), surely that should put him one up on the rest. It does in my eyes.

Reply 18

Chicago

Original post by Dan1000

For ages now I have wanted to join CO19, and am going to do a Law Degree in Leeds (not sure how much that will help but I want to do it anyway)

Want kind of qualifications will I need? And how physically fit do I need to be? Because I am not a fit person, I am getting better, and have four years til I will have finished Uni (A2 Year now, and then 3 in Uni), I know I need to join the normal Met for 2 years minimum before I can apply for CO19 and have to have a pysch test, but I am a law-abiding, cautious person, so I should be okay. The main things that worries me is the fitness?

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Lol

Reply 19

Balloon Baboon