joining police - any advice?

Pennywise

Poppy9 wrote:

He should think about joining the specials.

Excellent idea. I applied to join the police around 20 years ago when their selection criteria was a lot tougher. I was recommended to join the local Specials, not just to broaden my experience, but also to get a better idea of being a police officer. I was a special for around 3 years, doing a variety of work, including parades, carnivals and traffic control, but also patrols, night shifts, plain clothes work etc. At the end of it, I gave it up and was glad of the insight, as I couldn't have possibly stayed in the force and would have wasted a lot of time in training and being a probationer for no real purpose. I sadly have to agree about the arrogance and attitude of *some* of them. The majority were very helpful and committed, but there was a significant minority (of all ranks) who were not fit to be in the force.

Savvy_Sue

I have a certain amount of contact with the police through work and on the whole they are wonderful. But as with the NHS, they don't have the resources to do everything they would like to in an ideal world, which sometimes means they respond to public pressure (eg to move drug dealing out of one area whereupon it promptly moves to another).

My son says he wants to join because he enjoys The Bill so much: I'm hoping he'll grow out of it! Not because I don't want good people in the police, but I'm not sure I'll ever feel able to relax if he does.

But the most useful thing to say to the OP and anyone else interested is that you do have to be very fit. I know someone who got 95% of the way through the recruitment process before being told that a back injury from which they thought they'd completely recovered made them unsuitable.

Pennywise

I never really understood the "fitness" requirements. The physically fitness requirements vary enormously from one force to another. Some forces have different height limits, some don't allow spectacles, others do in certain circumstances. I expected there to be a "countrywide" standard, but it appears there isn't.

But, what does it matter if you are "superman" when you apply? There are plenty of overweight and even some obese police men and women, and once you are in, you can wear glasses to correct your vision as it deteriorates over time. It seems that these potential health and safety issues are not a problem when you're in, so why are they so strictly enforced beforehand?

I appreciate that everyone's health deteriorates as they get older, and people can move around to less physically demanding jobs, but a blanket policy of "not eligible if you need glasses to correct your vision" is a bit of an over-reaction - surely the underlying need for correction requires informed evaluation as to its seriousness, likelhood of worsening, effects on the job etc.

culpepper

I think you must be at peak fitness when you join because you are most likely to be 'pounding the streets' at that point in your career.
My OH applied 3 times in the last 20 years and has always passed the physical even though he wears glasses(occassionally) but has always failed on the interview. I put it down to his posh surrey accent sounding too hoity toity.
Funny though,he has been a special for about 15 years and is expected to risk his life and limb for free .He regularly makes arrests and turns up at all hours because he has had to stay and write it all up.

Poppy9

Don't join just for the pension. Currently you have to pay 11% of your pay and it takes 30 years to get a full pension. The Govt. are looking to change this though along with other LG and Civil service pension schemes. Only trouble is Police can't strike about it so they have to take whats offered.

System

My husband has been in the police since 1978 when he joined as a gangly very wet behind the ears spectacled 18 yr old and he loves it today just as much as he loved it when he joined except for the huge increase in paperwork which sometimes keeps him indoors rather than out on the street.

The camaradery is great not just within his force but between forces also.He's just back from a biking(motorbike)trip in Scotland with a group of his colleagues and during the trip they met a group of Scottish police and compared stories. We've been on holiday in America where he was invited out with local police to see how they worked and the problems are just the same except with more guns.

My husband says that dealing with the public everyday is a very rewarding job, sometimes sad, sometimes funny and sometimes frustrating. I think the reason he has enjoyed his job so much is because he is quite easy going, not easy to anger and he has a great sense of humour. He does say though that you need to be able to bite your tongue especially when yet another person tells you they pay your wages.

I never found it difficult to cope with his shift patterns nor the huge amount of overtime he did during the height of the "troubles" when we were first married. I guess though that that was due to the fact my father worked similar shift patterns for Ford when I was growing up.
We went through a period of about 4 or 5 years in the early days when he worked every New Year's Eve because of his shift pattern but I knew what his job involved when I married him and I never looked at our marriage as a competition between me and his job.

Hope that gives you and your son some insight into life within the force. I personally think it is a very worthwhile career even if sometimes it looks as if the Police can't win. There are numerous different areas to specialise in if he doesn't fancy being a Bobby on the beat and he will become part of a close knit workforce.

N9eav

To answer the question. The first thing to do is apply for the application pack. This is avaialble on line so just tap in the name of the force you want to join. ( just go to the website of the police force you want to join and search for recruiting)
Look at the criteria, It has all changed over the past few years and has been standardised, so that the same format and qualifications are used for any force, although you will apply to the force you want to join. (However how picky the forces are on their candiate selection is up to them)
The fitness test is a lot easier than it used to be, but getting fit would be a good start. After you have submitted your application and you have been paper sifted, should you be succesfull then you will probably get a video sent to you showing what is required fitness wise.
The application form contains questions about you and your family, and whether you have been in trouble with the police, even a parking ticket. DON'T LIE. Even if you have had a few things it may be OK, if you LIE, you will be out on your ear in the future when they find out.

If you have ever failed to pay for a TV licence or tax disc and been prosecuted, put the application in the bin now.

There will be a series of life questions such as " Give your best example of how you have dealt with a dispute"? You will have to rack your brains and think of some good answers to these. Find a friendly copper to check them before you send it in. (there are ways to phrase things to make sure the marking matrix works). Most forces require the candidate to have a bit of life skills and experience, so when you answer make yourself look good. Because policing is different from most jobs, A levels and degrees are not required. You need loads of common sense, be thick skinned, at times a total Bas***d, and a sypathetic ear and loads of other stuff, a sense of humour!

Policing is 99.9% more than giving out speeding tickets!

Most people I know never joined the specials first, so if you want to join go for it. If you need any help send me a message....

Plasticman

Poppy9 wrote:

Don't join just for the pension. Currently you have to pay 11% of your pay and it takes 30 years to get a full pension. The Govt. are looking to change this though along with other LG and Civil service pension schemes. Only trouble is Police can't strike about it so they have to take whats offered.

I'd be happy to pay 11% of my salary into a pension if it was as good as the Police one and I could retire after just 30 years!!

loopy_lass

Pennywise wrote:

I never really understood the "fitness" requirements. The physically fitness requirements vary enormously from one force to another. Some forces have different height limits, some don't allow spectacles, others do in certain circumstances. I expected there to be a "countrywide" standard, but it appears there isn't.

But, what does it matter if you are "superman" when you apply? There are plenty of overweight and even some obese police men and women, and once you are in, you can wear glasses to correct your vision as it deteriorates over time. It seems that these potential health and safety issues are not a problem when you're in, so why are they so strictly enforced beforehand?

I appreciate that everyone's health deteriorates as they get older, and people can move around to less physically demanding jobs, but a blanket policy of "not eligible if you need glasses to correct your vision" is a bit of an over-reaction - surely the underlying need for correction requires informed evaluation as to its seriousness, likelhood of worsening, effects on the job etc.

thats why i failed to be selected to join the police, my eyesight at age 17 wasnt upto scratch....

gutted i was and still am... but there u go.. i know i would have been a good copper, but was never given the chance!

loops

Queenie

((hugs)) loops Remember always, "all things happen for a reason" (even if we can't fathom what the heck it is )