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Does being a pcso help you become a police officer ?

Well I want to become a police officer and as of now my local force is not recruiting for police specials or officers, so my question is does a pcso advantage you to become a police officer ?

I was thinking it is internal however pcso's do not have any police powers or actually deal with crime, the only thing is it could give you an internal advantage to apply to become a PO.

But like I said the work of a pcso is like a council warden, handing out fines and dealing with social behaviour, only a small portion is related to police work. Even if you apply pcso's are not fast tracked you start from the initial application.

So do pcso's actually advantage you ?
Reply 1
Original post by redleader1
Well I want to become a police officer and as of now my local force is not recruiting for police specials or officers, so my question is does a pcso advantage you to become a police officer ?

I was thinking it is internal however pcso's do not have any police powers or actually deal with crime, the only thing is it could give you an internal advantage to apply to become a PO.

But like I said the work of a pcso is like a council warden, handing out fines and dealing with social behaviour, only a small portion is related to police work. Even if you apply pcso's are not fast tracked you start from the initial application.

So do pcso's actually advantage you ?


Even if there are no internal recruitment opportunities, being a pcso would give you experience in a policing environment. Once you have that experience you will be well placed to do well in the competency interviews etc. However, bear in mind that recruiters may not appreciate candidates that see a pcso as just a stepping stone to becoming a pc.
Reply 2
Original post by redleader1
Well I want to become a police officer and as of now my local force is not recruiting for police specials or officers, so my question is does a pcso advantage you to become a police officer ?

I was thinking it is internal however pcso's do not have any police powers or actually deal with crime, the only thing is it could give you an internal advantage to apply to become a PO.

But like I said the work of a pcso is like a council warden, handing out fines and dealing with social behaviour, only a small portion is related to police work. Even if you apply pcso's are not fast tracked you start from the initial application.

So do pcso's actually advantage you ?


You might want to have another look at the role of a PCSO, as you seem to have been looking at something else. Parking warden job roles perhaps? :biggrin:

PCSOs actively deal with crime, including investigation, intelligence gathering and deterrence. They also have a number of police powers, however they do not make arrests.

You will have no internal advantage for a police officer application, as they do not do internal PC adverts. But you will have gained insight into the role of a police officer, knowledge of how the force works, and a lot of skills in working with victims of crime and the criminals themselves.
Reply 3
Original post by Fuzzpig
You might want to have another look at the role of a PCSO, as you seem to have been looking at something else. Parking warden job roles perhaps? :biggrin:

PCSOs actively deal with crime, including investigation, intelligence gathering and deterrence. They also have a number of police powers, however they do not make arrests.

You will have no internal advantage for a police officer application, as they do not do internal PC adverts. But you will have gained insight into the role of a police officer, knowledge of how the force works, and a lot of skills in working with victims of crime and the criminals themselves.


I didnt mean internal advantage, but what I meant was internal recruitment, as it has been difficult for the police to recruit. I think sometimes even admin staff see the vacancies for internal police officers.
Reply 4
Original post by redleader1
I didnt mean internal advantage, but what I meant was internal recruitment, as it has been difficult for the police to recruit. I think sometimes even admin staff see the vacancies for internal police officers.


I know that in at least two forces, there is no internal recruitment for police officers in that respect. I'm not sure if this is true of other forces but I imagine they follow the same guidelines set by the college of policing. The internal PC roles that staff will see advertised are specialist/transfer roles, such as when a vacancy becomes available for a PC or sergeant on Neighbourhood or Armed Response.

What I'm saying is that when PC recruitment opens up, Police staff (including PCSOs) are not told beforehand or given early application or anything like that.

As per the OP however, I would definitely advise you to revisit the job description of a PCSO.

If you were to apply for the PC role after having been a PCSO (or special), you would be at an advantage in terms of your understanding of policing, real policing experience, and your ability to manage difficult, emotive and volatile situations relating to crime and victims. PCSOs have to learn to deal with difficult situations without the added protections of being able to reach for a baton or spray. If you need to detain someone for example, you'll have to do so without handcuffs and only your ability to speak.

You would also find the assessment centre a lot easier as you would be tested in situations that you are used to dealing with. You would also have a lot of current police officers to get advice from.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 5
Original post by Fuzzpig
I know that in at least two forces, there is no internal recruitment for police officers in that respect. I'm not sure if this is true of other forces but I imagine they follow the same guidelines set by the college of policing. The internal PC roles that staff will see advertised are specialist/transfer roles, such as when a vacancy becomes available for a PC or sergeant on Neighbourhood or Armed Response.

What I'm saying is that when PC recruitment opens up, Police staff (including PCSOs) are not told beforehand or given early application or anything like that.

As per the OP however, I would definitely advise you to revisit the job description of a PCSO.

If you were to apply for the PC role after having been a PCSO (or special), you would be at an advantage in terms of your understanding of policing, real policing experience, and your ability to manage difficult, emotive and volatile situations relating to crime and victims. PCSOs have to learn to deal with difficult situations without the added protections of being able to reach for a baton or spray. If you need to detain someone for example, you'll have to do so without handcuffs and only your ability to speak.

You would also find the assessment centre a lot easier as you would be tested in situations that you are used to dealing with. You would also have a lot of current police officers to get advice from.


Yeah I have looked further in to the role but your right it does differ from a traffic warden, that was on a forum. But I looked on Youtube and the job is relevant in regards to having experience to be a PO from lets say a call handler.

I have looked at a few forces and it does say are you currently a special or a pcso, so in that sense there will be an advantage within the application form and you'll be able to give better answers in the competency sections.

PCSO is a paid role, which also gives you one foot in to the police force, as now specials is ok but I need something with some income and pcso seems decent. Unless they recruit again for PO, I will apply for that. I know a police sergeant who told me since he retired, a person has taken over who started of as a pcso.
Reply 6
Original post by redleader1
Yeah I have looked further in to the role but your right it does differ from a traffic warden, that was on a forum. But I looked on Youtube and the job is relevant in regards to having experience to be a PO from lets say a call handler.

I have looked at a few forces and it does say are you currently a special or a pcso, so in that sense there will be an advantage within the application form and you'll be able to give better answers in the competency sections.

PCSO is a paid role, which also gives you one foot in to the police force, as now specials is ok but I need something with some income and pcso seems decent. Unless they recruit again for PO, I will apply for that. I know a police sergeant who told me since he retired, a person has taken over who started of as a pcso.

More and more officers have experience of being a PCSO now. You can even begin to guess who, as they're often better able to talk down a situation without getting raising their voice or becoming over assertive.

Just remember, it was a PCSO in London who alerted everyone to the fact that a terrorist was staking out a train station to bomb. PCSOs have done all sorts of things including foil drug drops and transform communities. In Slough, there is a traveller community where only one female PCSO is allowed access due to the relationship she managed to build with the community - any other officer will not be allowed on sight. PCSOs know their beat and know when something is up, and the public will tell them all sorts of bits of intelligence. They don't run around arresting people so they have that extra time to build up those relationships and people begin to trust them.


Good luck 👍🏻

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