work for the police?

mrbrown

Hi guys, Im fed up with my job and wandering what to do next. I work for a small company, but theres no clear career progression or pay increases and the money is not good. I was thinking about working for the police, maybe as an IT guy. Has anyone any experience of working for the police or know a good position that has good prospects? Im just digging around at the moment. I currently work as a web designer. Thanks.

The_JinJ

Getting a job as police staff (eg IT) is just like getting any other job - they will advertise vacancies and you apply, interview etc. The prospects are good enough, big organisation, but pay etc isn't what you might get from a private company. Job security would be slightly better IMHO.

ladymoon

The application forms are very long and you have to be very thorough, no mistakes. The pay isn't that good to start (believe me i know!!) and you may find that you can get better pay elsewhere.
You may also have to do shift work.
There are perks with different forces (I pay £2 a month and get discounts in local shops, restaurants and days out)
You may also find that as the government are trying to get all officers back on the beat that there will be more varied civilian jobs appearing within the police, and some of these pay more than IT.
However once you are in it can be easy to move departments.

chrispyphillips

Entry level IT jobs or Helpdesk staff arent paid a great deal in the police, but there are a few good admin posts, but these seems to be specialist with little chance of obtaining (you'll find most jobs go to ex-officers in retirement!)

Look in your local paper for IT jobs, I cant believe how much IT guys earn. I'm considering leaving the force for an IT job!!:rolleyes:

The_JinJ

LOL IT guys don't earn that much...maybe in the past but definetaly not now

thor

They killed the golden goose by ripping people off during the millenium bug scare. Also a lot of work is getting outsourced overseas.

justmakebelieve

Will massively vary depending on which service you're looking at - I (until recently) worked for the Met, and got paid significantly more than the same job in surounding areas - in fact I knew many people who commuted from Milton Keynes or even Rugby due to the difference in pay.

Look up your local website - they'll have careers info. Great job security!

timay_2

Like others say, pay isn't great compared to the private sector, as far as the IT jobs are concerned (that's where I work) You may find that some force's add a "market premium" to the salary to get it a little higher.
Depending on your IT qualifications/experience, you may be able to get a little extra cash than the starting salary (like most other places I guess)
Once you are in, it does give you the option to move jobs easier- some are advertised internally, etc.
The application forms are rather long & you have to be really thorough- they don't tend to accept CV's for applications, they also request medicals, etc for new applicants.
As for job security- I don't think you can say it offers any more than private jobs these days- I heard a rumour the other day that 1 force are having to lay of 15% of their support staff.
Keep an eye on your local force's website for jobs, or in your local paper.

mrbrown

thanks for all your comments. ive heard of some of the really good benefits of working for the police, but i dont know if its bs - such as receiving a bulk payment of £100k on retirement! im a web designer, so not sure what skills i could transfer apart from general knowledge of IT and being able to learn new software quickly.

xlesleyann

I work for the police as a despatcher and I love my job. The pay for the job I do is good. Not sure about the pay in IT. I have done a few jobs in my time and have to say so far the police are the best company/org I have worked for.

I pay into the pension and have had a statement after 3 years service and it looks good. It is also secure.

The best thing to do would be to look at your local police website and have a look at the vacancies or contact them and ask them about what kind of jobs they have in IT.

Good luck with whatever you decide.

chrispyphillips

timay wrote: »

I heard a rumour the other day that 1 force are having to lay of 15% of their support staff.

I'd say that probably wasnt true. Since the focus is back on front line policing, they are taking officers out of offices and putting them back on the beat, so they are looking for more support staff to do police desk jobs (like I do) and not less!! Again, not sure how true this is for IT jobs, since this is specialist and officers wouldnt do it anyway, but they do what I do and theres going to be plenty of spaces opening up in the next few years!