Is a career in Policing Worth It?

Mohammed_2000

19

I am considering making an application for the PCDA Degree. I was wondering whether a career in Policing is worth it please? Anyone has an experience or insight they can offer please.

Reply 1

immietooke

4

hey, i’m on a policing course and have gathered info about the PCDA and poling, the PCDA is said to be extremely overwhelming, unlike other apprenticeships, they don’t really fit in proper times for you to do your uni work, you still have to do the same hours and night shifts as you were if you were just working for the police (which includes so much paper work as it is), as well as the uni work, you’ll have no free time and it lasts a year longer than the normal police probation of 2 years

Reply 2

immietooke

4

Original post

by Mohammed_2000

I am considering making an application for the PCDA Degree. I was wondering whether a career in Policing is worth it please? Anyone has an experience or insight they can offer please.

it also doesn’t hold any significant benefit in terms of you moving up ranks, unless you want to get really high up, it’s not worth it all it does very occasionally is gains you a bit of “respect”, if you do want to get rlly high ranks, you can do the degree later in life when you have more time anyway and can have a shift schedule rather than all the bad shift times they give you when you first join

Reply 3

Mohammed_2000

OP

19

Original post

by immietooke

hey, i’m on a policing course and have gathered info about the PCDA and poling, the PCDA is said to be extremely overwhelming, unlike other apprenticeships, they don’t really fit in proper times for you to do your uni work, you still have to do the same hours and night shifts as you were if you were just working for the police (which includes so much paper work as it is), as well as the uni work, you’ll have no free time and it lasts a year longer than the normal police probation of 2 years

Hey do you think I can do the PCEP program if I have Epilepsy and whether my local force would be happy to give reasonable adjustments? For example shift wise?

Reply 4

Dunnig Kruger

20

Have you watched Focus Pocus or Auditing Britain on youtube?
Watching some videos from those channels should help to guide you as to whether a career in the police would be right for you or not.

Reply 5

SMCG088

3

Original post

by Mohammed_2000

I am considering making an application for the PCDA Degree. I was wondering whether a career in Policing is worth it please? Anyone has an experience or insight they can offer please.

I also really want To do policing but I'm applying to criminology degrees at different universities just to get more experience glad im not the only one who wants to do policing cause when I tell people their like wtf y.

Reply 6

Mohammed_2000

OP

19

Original post

by SMCG088

I also really want To do policing but I'm applying to criminology degrees at different universities just to get more experience glad im not the only one who wants to do policing cause when I tell people their like wtf y.

Yeah I’m getting that a lot but lately I’ve been looking into the PCEP route and switching careers from ICT to Policing. I can’t find a Job in IT. Although I am going to be worried about being discriminated over my inability to drive due to my Health Condition. And my Health Condition itself.

Reply 7

SMCG088

3

Original post

by Mohammed_2000

Yeah I’m getting that a lot but lately I’ve been looking into the PCEP route and switching careers from ICT to Policing. I can’t find a Job in IT. Although I am going to be worried about being discriminated over my inability to drive due to my Health Condition. And my Health Condition itself.

you could always go into computer forensics they work in the police doing digital work if you don't mind me asking but what is your health condition cause they always could adjust certain things on basis of your health condition.

Reply 8

Mohammed_2000

OP

19

Original post

by SMCG088

you could always go into computer forensics they work in the police doing digital work if you don't mind me asking but what is your health condition cause they always could adjust certain things on basis of your health condition.

Hi just wanted to update I made an application for the police constable entry program (pcep). I want to career switch from IT to policing. I left university with a degree 2 and a half years ago but can’t find a job within the IT Field. My health condition is Epilepsy.

Reply 9

SMCG088

3

Original post

by Mohammed_2000

Hi just wanted to update I made an application for the police constable entry program (pcep). I want to career switch from IT to policing. I left university with a degree 2 and a half years ago but can’t find a job within the IT Field. My health condition is Epilepsy.

have you heard back from them im 16 and coming 17 in October but I really want to join the police but im not sure if I should go to uni first then apply for police or not go to uni and instead just join when im 18/19 I really want to do criminology at uni and if I do do that at uni then I can join the police as a detective constable after I finish that degree but Im hoping to stay on for a levels to do sociology health and social care and Cambridge technical business but If I don't get back for my a levels then I will do applied science at the src its 2 years the same as a levels

Reply 10

Mohammed_2000

OP

19

Original post

by SMCG088

have you heard back from them im 16 and coming 17 in October but I really want to join the police but im not sure if I should go to uni first then apply for police or not go to uni and instead just join when im 18/19 I really want to do criminology at uni and if I do do that at uni then I can join the police as a detective constable after I finish that degree but Im hoping to stay on for a levels to do sociology health and social care and Cambridge technical business but If I don't get back for my a levels then I will do applied science at the src its 2 years the same as a levels

Yeah I’ve done the National Sift Assessment. I passed both assessments. It’s really up to you to be honest. I was brave enough to put an application forward now I need to do the oac and in force interview before the final occupational health checks and then my policing career starts from there to be honest.

Reply 11

Justice-Officer

7

Original post

by Mohammed_2000

Hey do you think I can do the PCEP program if I have Epilepsy and whether my local force would be happy to give reasonable adjustments? For example shift wise?

Hi - according to Kent police (as a Home Officer force example), they say regarding Epilepsy;

"Epilepsy
I have epilepsy, but have not had a seizure for two years. The DVLA is happy for me to drive a car. Can I join the police?
As long as your condition is stable, well-controlled and you have been seizure-free for at least 12 months, having epilepsy will not be a factor. However, your condition may require certain restrictions (which technically may also be considered as an adjustment under the Equality Act).

Police standards for driving can be higher than the DVLA, particularly for the higher levels of vocational driving. If you are allowed to drive under the Group 1 standard of the DVLA (this means yearly risk of you having a seizure is assessed as no more than 20%) then you would be able to commute to and from work and potentially may be able to undertake some limited driving at level 1 if your condition is very well controlled. This is at the discretion of the force medical officer.
For any other kind of vocational driving (level 2 and higher), the expectation would be that the annual risk of you suffering a seizure is no more than 2%.
This is usually only the case if you have been off medications for ten years or more without suffering any further seizures."

^Take the driving element with a pinch of salt - unless your goal is to be a police response driver.
For example, only a small proportion of officers actually ever drive a police vehicle (even officers whom get assigned to a Police, Roads & Transport Command unit) - i.e. when I was on a roads team, there were only a certain few drivers whom just always drove the teams - everyone else was just normal foot officers (i.e. when you see a police van with 3 to 9+ officers - 2 will be driver trained [1 will actually drive and the other is there for backup, in case they need to switch] - all others are not trained to drive, you'll just accompany as part of the transport dedicated team) - if your not assigned to transport, than you may end up in a role like most other officers, which is either Response unit, or Safer Neighbourhood local units.

Also check out some PDF guidance on the following below link;

https://www.essex.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/essex/careers/careers-medical-faqs.pdf

Ultimately it may depend on how it's managed, how regular (i.e. if too regular, you're likely to be deemed unsuitable), but if it's what they deem "managed" (i.e. seizure-free for at least 12 months etc.) then they may disregard and provide reasonable adjustment including tailoring your shift etc.

The below link is from the Met Police (may be old, so whether there 18 month requirement is now 12 like Kent Police will need to be queried with the Met to check their current policy timeframes);

https://www.met.police.uk/SysSiteAssets/media/downloads/force-content/met/careers/careers/876-264-fit-for-the-job.pdf

Essex Police (alike Kent) similarly refer to around 12 month period in the below link;

https://www.essex.police.uk/police-forces/essex-police/areas/essex-police/ca/careers/police-officers/health-conditions-and-the-recruitment-process/

(edited 6 months ago)

Is a career in Policing Worth It?

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