This discussion is now closed.
Check out other Related discussions
- University
- How long does it take to become a Police officer and what’s needed
- đźš” Q&A: Questions on policing as a career: Ask us anything!
- Police direct entry to detective
- Hi
- Aspiring detective yr 13
- Police Now National Detective Scheme 2024 Intake
- What’s. Better for police officer a levels or a btec in uniformed protective services
- Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship to PGDL (Barrister)
- British Transport Police PC Recruitment
- Police Cadets or air cadets?
- National Detective Programme 2025
- Fast track detective course
- [gay dating] I don't want to join Armed Forces but I want to have a military bf/husba
- How competitive is PCDA?
- Have I got any chance of getting into the military with my history?
- Work expereicne
- USA Exchange Programme with Police Caution (J1 Visa)
- Can you get into forensics after a biochemistry degree?
- Will DSA affect me after i graduate?
Joining the Police?
Hi, I am looking for some information and advice in regards to joining the police force. I just turned 17 a few weeks ago and have decided that my future is with the police. I believe the Police Force would be a great career and now need to see how I go about it.
I love the fact that the job will vary each day and that you are not always stuck in doors behind a desk. Furthermore the opportunities that are available, for example moving up the ladder into the CID and the early retirement scheme which seems to have a good pension are all plus points.
I wear glasses and my eyesight is not fantastic and was just wondering if this would effect my chances of success and getting in. I also need advice on when to go and how to get in. At 17 am I too old for the police cadets?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I love the fact that the job will vary each day and that you are not always stuck in doors behind a desk. Furthermore the opportunities that are available, for example moving up the ladder into the CID and the early retirement scheme which seems to have a good pension are all plus points.
I wear glasses and my eyesight is not fantastic and was just wondering if this would effect my chances of success and getting in. I also need advice on when to go and how to get in. At 17 am I too old for the police cadets?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
Scroll to see replies
www.policecouldyou.co.uk should answer all of your questions!
Thanks for all the help so far. I decided to take a walk down to my local police station this afternoon and I asked for some advice and information. I received some brochures and was given an email address in which I was to enquire.
Thats me just sent my email off and am now awaiting a reply. I shall keep you updated and hopefully a future career in the police awaits.
Thats me just sent my email off and am now awaiting a reply. I shall keep you updated and hopefully a future career in the police awaits.
I have the police is hard to get into and the queues are long - also you have to be 18.5 years old i think minimum...
It appears I am too old for the Police Cadets hence cannot look to get in that way. First and foremost I need get my driving license as you need one to apply (Currently taking lessons anyway so that should be no problem) and then I can go back and look about getting in.
I am also thinking about going to Uni, getting a degree then hopefully getting fast tracked and then I will have the safety net of a degree in case anything goes wrong.
I am also thinking about going to Uni, getting a degree then hopefully getting fast tracked and then I will have the safety net of a degree in case anything goes wrong.
You don't need a driving license anymore for most forces if not all. Most just specify that your job offer is conditional on you passing within 3 months. The Police HPD scheme isnt really like other fast track schemes so read up on it before you spend ÂŁ21k+ on a degree, although I agree its a good safety net.
Within London you do not need to have a driving licence to join as they are over subscribed
Outside London, you tend to and it is easier to get in outside London as well
I work for the Met police and should be returning on August the 16th (I am hoping to get into the communications room as PCSO and police officer is difficult to combine with studying), it is fun, gets a bit crazy at times and mentally challenging (also keeps the body fat away)
By the time you go through the assessments, fitness, security clearance, you should be 18 anyway (I would give it 6 months plus to be honest)
Outside London, you tend to and it is easier to get in outside London as well
I work for the Met police and should be returning on August the 16th (I am hoping to get into the communications room as PCSO and police officer is difficult to combine with studying), it is fun, gets a bit crazy at times and mentally challenging (also keeps the body fat away)
By the time you go through the assessments, fitness, security clearance, you should be 18 anyway (I would give it 6 months plus to be honest)
How easy is it to fast track with a degree? and does it have to be relevant?
In most police forces a degree is irrelevent with fast tracking, you have to get over a certain pass mark in the assessment centre, something like 75%, before you apply for the HPDS, and then have other assessments and interviews before being accepted for it.
Remeber though that a lot of the skills required of the HPDS are aquired through degree study, which is why sometimes it can be slightly advantagous to have a degree. Although, that said there is no specific requirement for it.
If you do get on to HPDS though, you're on track for very quick promotion indeed. I've heard of people that were Chief Inspectors before the age of 30.
If you do get on to HPDS though, you're on track for very quick promotion indeed. I've heard of people that were Chief Inspectors before the age of 30.
Yes, there's a minimum age for the police force, but the police hardly ever hire people under 21, due to the fact that they still are young. My boyfriend applied at almost 19, and was told he fills all the criteria, but the couldn't hire him til he had obtained "necessary life experience". Also, my boyfriend told me they do not hire anyone that has been a security guard, bouncer or anything like that, as odd as that may seem. Hope that helps.
As long as you're not: male, straight/heterosexual, white and non disabled, you should have no problems getting in to the police and have very good promotional potential. They are desperate to fill race, gender quotas so if you're a white, non disabled, heterosexual man, you will at the very least be put at the end of the waiting list, at the most, rejected straight away. It is sad, but it is the truth. I know a lot of people who have got to the stage in the police that if there is say a black person or a woman in the interview queue in front of them, they walk away because they accept they haven't got a hope in hell of getting the job.
If you have eyesight problems you may have a few problems passing the medical test. My cousin was colour blind and was rejected outright because he couldn't tell the difference between a red and a yellow car amoung other things. Plus, if you fail your eyesight test, at the very least they won't let you drive any of their fast response cars. I have a relative who, after 25 years couldn't tell the difference between the C and a G on the eyesight test and so was no longer allowed to drive any of the immediate response cars.
The fitness tests are a dodle, apparently you have to get 5 or 6 on the beep test.
Be warned, get work experience before you are sure you want to join the police. I know people who do it for the money. There are parts that they enjoy, but in some ways it is a poor and people will treat you differently. Many police officers do not make it well known in public and around the areas that they live. Plus, do you really want to be dealing with junkies, rapists, murderers, etc every day of the week. Fighting mentally ill people with samuri swords, getting bricks and bottles chucked at you, being spat at, and generally being attacked and assaulted? Your house vandalised because the local scum bags found out you were a police officer?
Degrees are very undervalued in the police. Like almost any job, having a degree makes little difference. I even know police officers who have been transferred off certain duties even when they have professional expertise in the forms of degrees in that area of work. If all you intend to do is join the police, getting a degree is largely a waste of time and money.
On fast tracking, most of it is due to shortages of certain ranks, or because you fit a certain image that the police want to advertise. People i know have been automatically promoted without the interviews and tests simply because the met was severely lacking inspectors. Plus, the met is very happy to fast track asian, black, female, muslim, quaint travelling folk, gay, etc officers, to make them appear more diverse. If you don't feature under any of your headings, your chances of fast tracking are significantly limited. Plus, most of the people who have been fast tracked lack the skills and experience to do their job properly so expect to work around some pretty stupid/annoying/nasty people who generally take all of the credit for work done by other people below them. Again, a relative has a commanding officer who has been fast tracked. She has no managerial skills making it very hard for the people under her to work, plus, she lacks practical experience. This relative of mine even had to give her in effect work experience for jobs he'd done several ranks ago because she'd never been a custody officer before?!
Again, be warned, get experience, make sure its for you before you commit yourself. There are much nicer, better jobs in the world to do. But if none of what i've said puts you off, go for it.
PS:
Bouncers and security guards have very little or no training. They are taught/learn certain moves/attacks which can be very dangerous and uncontrolled, something which the police don't want to manifest itself when all they want to do is arrest a 12 year old shop lifter. Plus, generally, bouncers and security guards are bouncers and security guards for a reason. Whether it be a criminal record, etc, or because they aren't the sharpest tool in the shed.
If you have eyesight problems you may have a few problems passing the medical test. My cousin was colour blind and was rejected outright because he couldn't tell the difference between a red and a yellow car amoung other things. Plus, if you fail your eyesight test, at the very least they won't let you drive any of their fast response cars. I have a relative who, after 25 years couldn't tell the difference between the C and a G on the eyesight test and so was no longer allowed to drive any of the immediate response cars.
The fitness tests are a dodle, apparently you have to get 5 or 6 on the beep test.
Be warned, get work experience before you are sure you want to join the police. I know people who do it for the money. There are parts that they enjoy, but in some ways it is a poor and people will treat you differently. Many police officers do not make it well known in public and around the areas that they live. Plus, do you really want to be dealing with junkies, rapists, murderers, etc every day of the week. Fighting mentally ill people with samuri swords, getting bricks and bottles chucked at you, being spat at, and generally being attacked and assaulted? Your house vandalised because the local scum bags found out you were a police officer?
Degrees are very undervalued in the police. Like almost any job, having a degree makes little difference. I even know police officers who have been transferred off certain duties even when they have professional expertise in the forms of degrees in that area of work. If all you intend to do is join the police, getting a degree is largely a waste of time and money.
On fast tracking, most of it is due to shortages of certain ranks, or because you fit a certain image that the police want to advertise. People i know have been automatically promoted without the interviews and tests simply because the met was severely lacking inspectors. Plus, the met is very happy to fast track asian, black, female, muslim, quaint travelling folk, gay, etc officers, to make them appear more diverse. If you don't feature under any of your headings, your chances of fast tracking are significantly limited. Plus, most of the people who have been fast tracked lack the skills and experience to do their job properly so expect to work around some pretty stupid/annoying/nasty people who generally take all of the credit for work done by other people below them. Again, a relative has a commanding officer who has been fast tracked. She has no managerial skills making it very hard for the people under her to work, plus, she lacks practical experience. This relative of mine even had to give her in effect work experience for jobs he'd done several ranks ago because she'd never been a custody officer before?!
Again, be warned, get experience, make sure its for you before you commit yourself. There are much nicer, better jobs in the world to do. But if none of what i've said puts you off, go for it.
PS:
Also, my boyfriend told me they do not hire anyone that has been a security guard, bouncer or anything like that, as odd as that may seem.
Bouncers and security guards have very little or no training. They are taught/learn certain moves/attacks which can be very dangerous and uncontrolled, something which the police don't want to manifest itself when all they want to do is arrest a 12 year old shop lifter. Plus, generally, bouncers and security guards are bouncers and security guards for a reason. Whether it be a criminal record, etc, or because they aren't the sharpest tool in the shed.
Nogueira
Hi, I am looking for some information and advice in regards to joining the police force. I just turned 17 a few weeks ago and have decided that my future is with the police. I believe the Police Force would be a great career and now need to see how I go about it.
I love the fact that the job will vary each day and that you are not always stuck in doors behind a desk. Furthermore the opportunities that are available, for example moving up the ladder into the CID and the early retirement scheme which seems to have a good pension are all plus points.
I wear glasses and my eyesight is not fantastic and was just wondering if this would effect my chances of success and getting in. I also need advice on when to go and how to get in. At 17 am I too old for the police cadets?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
I love the fact that the job will vary each day and that you are not always stuck in doors behind a desk. Furthermore the opportunities that are available, for example moving up the ladder into the CID and the early retirement scheme which seems to have a good pension are all plus points.
I wear glasses and my eyesight is not fantastic and was just wondering if this would effect my chances of success and getting in. I also need advice on when to go and how to get in. At 17 am I too old for the police cadets?
Any help would be greatly appreciated. Thanks
im 15 years old and have been interested in a career in the police since i was 12, iv read as much information about it as i possibly can and i also have bad eyesight . however your eyesight should not affect you as its something like as long as you can read the second line down on the eyesight chart without your glasses/contact lenses , hope that helps . also iv read that doing things like volunteering, and joining the specials (voluntary policing) are good ways of increasing your chances of entry . hope this helps everyone who reads this
ehm-gee
im 15 years old and have been interested in a career in the police since i was 12, iv read as much information about it as i possibly can and i also have bad eyesight . however your eyesight should not affect you as its something like as long as you can read the second line down on the eyesight chart without your glasses/contact lenses , hope that helps . also iv read that doing things like volunteering, and joining the specials (voluntary policing) are good ways of increasing your chances of entry . hope this helps everyone who reads this
Any ideas why you replied to a two year old thread?
Related discussions
- University
- How long does it take to become a Police officer and what’s needed
- đźš” Q&A: Questions on policing as a career: Ask us anything!
- Police direct entry to detective
- Hi
- Aspiring detective yr 13
- Police Now National Detective Scheme 2024 Intake
- What’s. Better for police officer a levels or a btec in uniformed protective services
- Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship to PGDL (Barrister)
- British Transport Police PC Recruitment
- Police Cadets or air cadets?
- National Detective Programme 2025
- Fast track detective course
- [gay dating] I don't want to join Armed Forces but I want to have a military bf/husba
- How competitive is PCDA?
- Have I got any chance of getting into the military with my history?
- Work expereicne
- USA Exchange Programme with Police Caution (J1 Visa)
- Can you get into forensics after a biochemistry degree?
- Will DSA affect me after i graduate?
Latest
Trending
Last reply 3 weeks ago
Career options with psychology - alternatives to a neuropsychologistLast reply 2 months ago
Level 5 Diploma in Leadership and Management for adult care
