Joining the Police

Unfortunately, it doesn't work like that. Degree or not, you'll start at the bottom.


Posted from TSR Mobile

I know, it's basically their way of saying 'we'll let any idiot in'.

With there selection process, an idiot won't get in. It's not as easy as people think.

As far as Co19, etc forget it. If you want to carry weapons join the British Army.


Posted from TSR Mobile

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?


This was posted from The Student Room's iPhone/iPad App

Funnily enough, I looked into this last night.

There is no formal entry requirement in terms of qualifications to get into the Police force but you'll be required to pass a series of written tests (presumably in basic English and arithmetic skills, possibly a bit of verbal reasoning or similar too).

In terms of fitness, you need to be able to reach level 5 of the bleep test (easy, I can get to level 11 reasonably comfortably and I wouldn't say I was super fit) and keep going at that level until you've done 4 shuttle runs of it. You also need to have your push and pull power tested on a special machine. Apparently they look for an average of around 32kg.

I've got no idea about co19 specifically but it doesn't really matter because whichever way you look at it, you're going to have to start from the bottom. I'd imagine it's a pretty difficult process though, they're not going to let any muppet run around the streets with a firearm. Given that you're in position for a law degree though, I'd imagine that you would be able to achieve it provided your fitness was up to scratch. It's definitely going to be higher than what is required of a normal Officer though.

I'd like to say I believe you but it does seem like they let any idiot in..

Are you in? Clearly not then.

Oh how incredibly witty of you!

No different to saying that they let any idiot in because grads don't get rated higher. Not really that well informed but I'll make a sweeping statement anyway.

I make statements based on my experiences with public servants. A lot of them are good, smart people. Sadly a lot of aren't.

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.

I need help if anyone knows