Is it morally wrong to join the police?

I've always wanted to join the police, though I've changed my mind over the last few years. I'm 18 next year. I'm not sure about uni and I could really do with a stable job. I've also considered becoming a firefighter but not sure as it seems its actually harder to do as they have less funding and can therefore recruit less people. The thing is, I feel that I will be sacrificing my antiracist principles by joining an organisation that isn't exactly stranger to controversey over its treatment of people of colour. I don't just want to be another white officer ruining some black kid's life over something stupid. is there anyone else who has joined the police? i have seen a LOT of racist and nasty people attracted ot the police. Not sure - any serving police officers or black or other officers who can share their experiences?

My understanding is its a graduate only profession now, so going to uni might do you some good.

Luckily for everyone you wont be accepted at the moment and need to figure out life a bit more especially the police.
My understanding is its a graduate only profession now, so going to uni might do you some good.

There are some serving police officers on TSR.
If you thinbk upholding the law is morally questionable and not something you would feel confident in doing then you should consider another profession.
Maybe get some work experience as well?

I've always wanted to join the police, though I've changed my mind over the last few years. I'm 18 next year. I'm not sure about uni and I could really do with a stable job. I've also considered becoming a firefighter but not sure as it seems its actually harder to do as they have less funding and can therefore recruit less people. The thing is, I feel that I will be sacrificing my antiracist principles by joining an organisation that isn't exactly stranger to controversey over its treatment of people of colour. I don't just want to be another white officer ruining some black kid's life over something stupid. is there anyone else who has joined the police? i have seen a LOT of racist and nasty people attracted ot the police. Not sure - any serving police officers or black or other officers who can share their experiences?

No. Whilst many believe the whole police structure is morally corrupt i think it just depends on the person joining.

I understand the graduate only thing has been dropped, at least in London, because no one was joining. It was stupid to incldue that.
As for morally questionable - its not the law that';s the problem. It's the way I've seen ti applied. I just feel like I'd be letting a lot of people down if I did it. I think I am good at helping people and I have a lot of experience helping people with mental health and other problems and I've actually uncovered a lot of crimes myself, but its just stop and search for instance. If i was a poliec officer, I would personally be searching white kids because I know form my own experience in my area anyway, its white kids committing crime, not black ones.

I’m sure this thread is completely legit

You arent a police officer. Your job is not to make up your own policy but apply the law and do your job as instructed. You seem unhappy to do that so maybe you arent suited for the police.

I cant find where it says they have dropped the graduate requirement for London, feel free to link it as you seem to know where it is?

I've actually been quite sympathetic to the police in the past but with BLM and everything my opinion has changed. Police seem to be an obstacle to legitimate movements and at time are just an armed wing of the government. Take the poll tax and miners striking for example. I'm not sure if I could stand against a fellow worker who is simply trying to make a living.

it probably is. i've been arguing with literally hundreds of leftist half-wits at my uni who genuinely think all police officers are bad

I've always wanted to join the police, though I've changed my mind over the last few years. I'm 18 next year. I'm not sure about uni and I could really do with a stable job. I've also considered becoming a firefighter but not sure as it seems its actually harder to do as they have less funding and can therefore recruit less people. The thing is, I feel that I will be sacrificing my antiracist principles by joining an organisation that isn't exactly stranger to controversey over its treatment of people of colour. I don't just want to be another white officer ruining some black kid's life over something stupid. is there anyone else who has joined the police? i have seen a LOT of racist and nasty people attracted ot the police. Not sure - any serving police officers or black or other officers who can share their experiences?

In my opinion, if you're working on being anti-racist, you need to recognise that the police are racist (and ableist, classist etc) as an institution. It's not down to the individual, but the police as a whole. As someone who is anti-racist, I think it kind of contradicts that you want to/are willing to join an institutionally racist institution.


You are clearly aware of the issues with the police, and if you didn't before, now you know that they're also institutionally biased in multiple ways (I saw today that young black men are more likely to be given covid fines, so this isn't an issue that's going away).

Obviously at the end of the day it's your choice, but it sounds like you do kind of know already.

Don’t be like other racist police officers, racially profiling black people, using disproportionate force against black people or deciding whether a black person should die and anytime you witness this from other police officers, don’t be afraid to challenge their racism otherwise you would then become complicit in . Apart from that, a good way to change a historically racist institution is internally.

This is very true.

No i wouldn';t be like that and that's why i feel when a lot of officers do (and i actually know a friend of our family whose husband served as an armed officer in london and was very racist) its pointless to try and "change from within" when some organisations are beyond reform or repair. i think the uk police is far less racist than the us however