Police service

The main duties of the police service are the protection of life and property, the maintenance of order and the prevention and detection of crime. There are around 40 separate locally based police forces in the UK as well as specialist forces such as the British Transport Police, the Civil Nuclear Constabulary and the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP).

Police officers are citizen-focused and respond to the needs of individuals and communities.

Police officers will be involved in a range of different activities such as patrolling an area to provide reassurance to the public, arresting and interviewing suspects, responding to incidents, enforcing traffic regulations and attending court to give evidence.

Working in the police force could entail anything from reducing burglary and street-related crime, dealing with a murder, investigating internet pornography or countering terrorism, to tackling antisocial behaviours such as binge drinking or giving road safety talks to schoolchildren. The police also work to develop and maintain relationships with the community and with organisations such as schools and social services.

You can join as a police officer, a community support officer (CSO), a special constable or a member of the support staff. Special constables and CSOs have limited police powers but play an important role in maintaining the links between the force and the local community by interacting with the public and assisting with police duties.

Specialist positions include dog handling, the mounted branch, marine support, firearms unit, underwater search and many more. Civilian staff are involved in every aspect of police work – running incident rooms, dealing with enquiries from the public, working on scenes of crime and conducting forensic and fingerprint examinations.

The skills you need for a career in the police service

• Initiative and flexibility
• Good communication and interpersonal skills
• The ability to deal with people who are in shock or who have been injured
• Courage and decisiveness
• The ability to stay calm in stressful situations.

Police service recruitment

Recruitment and selection procedures are managed by police services at a local level, although a nationally agreed competence-based framework is applied. To enter as a police officer, potential recruits are asked to fill in a standard entry application form, which tests your competences and is open to men and women above the age of 18.

All candidates must pass the medical and fitness tests, background check, and attend a two-day assessment centre. Candidates are asked to take part in a number of different exercises including group work with other applicants, face-to-face interviews and written examinations designed to test analytical and problemsolving skills. Most recruitment for support services is done on a local basis, although some posts are in the Civil Service and are advertised nationally.

The police force is actively seeking to encourage applications from a minority ethnic background. This is especially important in the wake of the terrorist attacks on London, which have placed a greater emphasis on the need to communicate with the wider community to make sure that their different viewpoints are represented.

Aiming high: the High Potential Development Scheme

The High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS) is a structured career and training programme that supports and develops the future leaders of the police service. If your standard application marks you out as an outstanding candidate, you will be automatically put forward for the scheme. There is also the opportunity to put yourself forward once you’ve entered the force, and graduates from all degree disciplines are eligible to apply.

Early on in your career you’ll be prepared for the challenges of leadership through continuing professional development: it is expected that those on the scheme can reach the rank of superintendent within seven to nine years. Further education is another element of the programme, with sponsorship available for this purpose. The starting salary for those entering the HPDS is around £20,000 (salaries for the Metropolitan Police and City of London Police include a London weighting and London allowance).

The HPDS is currently being revised. For further information visit the National Policing Improvement Agency’s website.