GUIDE TO BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER · evidence of an acceptable English language qualification if their degree was not taught and assessed in English. 3. Pre-join degree in professional

GUIDE TO BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER

01 | GUIDE TO BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER Search “Hampshire Police careers”

Being a police officer is one of the most personally rewarding, challenging and diverse careers available to you. It’s a vital role and offers a great sense of pride from helping and protecting those within our community.

This guide aims to provide you with all you need to know

about the role, the application process and to answer the more

commonly asked questions we receive.

1. Being a police officer

2. Eligibility

4. Transferring to Hampshire

3. Application process

5. Concerns about applying

GUIDE TO BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER | 02Search “Hampshire Police careers”

1. BEING A POLICE OFFICER

As a police officer, you will work across an increasingly diverse community and face an ever-changing criminal landscape.

Whether working as a uniformed officer or detective, you’ll

develop the skills and knowledge to deal with new and

emerging types of crime, such as cybercrime, as well as high-

harm offences like rape and domestic abuse.

To be the best we can be, we need to attract the best people.

It’s a tough but rewarding job and we’ll work hard to ensure

we give you the genuine support you need to succeed.

Because we know that only a looked-after officer can give

the public the best possible protection.

You could find yourself:

• acting on emergency calls

• investigating reported crimes

• apprehending, arresting and interviewing suspects

• collecting evidence at crime scenes

• dealing with accidents and incidents

• supporting victims and witnesses of domestic abuse

• engaging with children and young people to help change

perceptions of the police

• working with emergency service colleagues from

Ambulance, Fire and Rescue

SALARY AND BENEFITS

We know that it isn’t all about

the money, and it’s making a

difference that motivates our

people the most. We never

want to lose sight of that, but

we also know that when people

are starting out on a new career,

or moving to a new area of the

country, it can be difficult. That’s

why Hampshire has chosen to

have the highest starting salary

of any force in the South East,

with new recruits currently

joining on more than £24,000

plus allowances and benefits. As

you develop your skills, this can

rise to more than £40,000 after

seven years as a police constable.

And there could be opportunities

for promotion, development and

specialising on top of that.



“I grew up in a big city, where I saw a lot of what I thought was wrong and I wanted to be the person to stop that and make a difference.” Samer, Response & Patrol PC

2. ELIGIBILITY

You will need to be at least 18 years old and have no criminal record; some minor offences may not exclude you, but you should check with us if you are concerned. You’ll also need a full UK manual driving licence.

You also need to have lived in the UK for the last three years, and have the right to live and work in the country

indefinitely. There are some exceptions for those serving in the armed forces, members of the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office, and those who have taken a career break or gap year to travel or work abroad for up to 12

months.

If you receive a conditional offer of employment or you are placed into a pool of successful candidates to whom we

intend to make a conditional offer when the position arises, you must agree to undergo recruitment screening which

may consist of vetting (including biometrics), medical, references and a job-related fitness test. The criteria include:

• Having 6/36 uncorrected vision or 6/12 corrected in either eye AND 6/6 in both eyes. Laser correction is fine after

six weeks, but severe colour vision deficiencies (monochromat) will prevent you from joining.

• Having a body mass index (BMI) between 20 and 29.

• Being able to reach level 5.4 on a 15-metre shuttle run.

Full eligibility criteria will be included at the point we advertise for police officer roles. If you have any questions about

police officer recruitment, please email [email protected]

In order to truly reflect the communities we serve, we’re particularly keen to recruit those with language skills, people

from black, Asian and other minority ethnic backgrounds, and other under-represented groups. If you meet this

criteria we can help, supporting you with your application and recruitment. Email us at positive.action@hampshire.

pnn.police.uk


mailto:[email protected]

Different entry routes1. Police constable degree apprenticeship (PCDA) –

Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship

This sees a new officer recruited and entered on to a

three-year degree course. The probation period will be

three years. Those who already have a degree are able to

enter via this route as well, although they will most likely

enter the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) as

detailed below.

All candidates applying for the PCDA entry route must

hold Maths and English GCSE grade C or above/4 or

higher (or an acceptable equivalent Level 2 qualification

in Maths and English) at the point of application.

In addition, to be considered for entry to the PCDA,

applicants should normally hold, and be able to evidence,

a minimum of one A level at grade A* - C (56-32 UCAS

points) in any subject or a level 3 qualification that is of

an equivalent depth and breadth as an A level. (The UCAS

Calculator allows you to enter the qualification to review

if the qualification meets the minimum 32 UCAS Tariff

Points). Please note, AS Levels are not an acceptable

alternative.

Applicants without level 3 qualifications but with

the required Math and English qualifications can be

considered if:

• You have previously served in the military or armed

forces, or similar law enforcement agency, and have

successfully completed the minimum term of service

and have an exemplary reference (previous service

in military or armed forces is a minimum of 2 years

within the last 5 years).

or

• You have previously served in another emergency

service (this includes Special, PCSO or other

operational roles in another police force) and have

an exemplary reference. (Previous service in an

emergency service is a minimum of 2 years within the

last 5 years and have worked in an operational role.)

or

• You are an internal member of staff who has

completed their probation period.

or

• You have gained a Certificate in Knowledge of

Policing.Constables under this apprenticeship are

employed (as crown servants) from the day they start

and the degree apprenticeship will be fully funded by

the force.

PCDA students will be given time to complete work

required as part of the course. Their probationary period

will include tutoring and attachments to different areas of

policing.

Both the academic requirements and the occupational

competence need to be achieved in order to be

successfully confirmed in rank and remain employed

as a police officer. Officers will achieve a Degree in

Professional Policing Practice.

2. Degree holder entry programme (DHEP)

Applicants for the DHEP should have successfully

completed, and be able to evidence, a minimum of a

Level 6 UK Undergraduate Honours Degree (360 credits)

in any subject, or overseas equivalent as recognised by

UK NARIC.

Applicants with non-UK degrees may need to provide

evidence of an acceptable English language qualification if

their degree was not taught and assessed in English.

3. Pre-join degree in professional policing

This is where members of the public pay for their own

degree in policing.


https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

https://www.ucas.com/ucas/tariff-calculator

Frequently asked questions

I don’t have a level 2 qualification in English and

Maths, what can I do?

If you are on the Police Constable Degree

Apprenticeship, the requirements of the Education for

Skills and Funding Agency requires all apprenticeships

to have a level 2 in Maths and English. You can obtain

this through a training provider and the Government

will fund functional English and Maths for you. You

need to have achieved this at the point you make your

application.

Do I need a degree to be a police officer?

No, you don’t. Some people think you need one to join

as a police officer, but that isn’t the case. We welcome

degree holders, but if you don’t have one you can

actually earn a degree on the job, saving the cost of

paying for one yourself.

I’m not a British Citizen, can I still apply?

You can as long as you are an EEA national or a

Swiss national. Commonwealth citizens and foreign

nationals are required to have leave to enter or leave

to remain in the UK for an indefinite period and

unrestricted permission to work in the UK.

Can I apply without a driving licence?

You can apply without a driving licence. However

you will need to have a full UK manual driving licence

for us to offer you a start date, so start taking those

lessons!

If I have a disability, can I still apply?

Yes. We welcome applications from people with

disabilities. If you consider yourself to have a

disability, please inform us within your application

form of the type of reasonable adjustments you might

need to assist you in participating in the recruitment

and selection process. We will make these wherever

we can.

Is there a height restriction?

No, there is no minimum or maximum height

restriction.



3. APPLICATION PROCESS

Eligibilitycheck

2

On-line assessments

3

Interview

4

Search Assessment

Centre

5

6

ID &

7

Employmentreferencing

8

(including

biometrics)

9

Job related fitness test

10

HealthScreening

11 12

Set training course start

date

13

Candidatecan give

14

1

APPLICATION TO CONDITIONAL OFFER

PRE-EMPLOYMENT CHECKS

FINAL OFFER AND START DATE CONFIRMED

THE JOINING PATHWAY - POLICE OFFICERS


What does vetting mean?

We will carry out security checks on you and your:

• spouse/partner

• father/stepfather/mother’s partner

• mother/stepmother/father’s partner

• brothers/sisters (full/half/step)

• children/children of your partner (only those aged 10

years and over)

• any other adult living at your address

• financial circumstances

• social media accounts

What if I have a relative who has convictions?

If your friends or family members have criminal

convictions, you must disclose this when asked on

your vetting application. Your application will not be

automatically rejected and consideration will be given on

a case-by-case basis.

Can I still apply if I have a criminal record?

Applications will be rejected in all cases where:

• Offences were committed as an adult or juvenile

which resulted in a prison sentence (including

custodial, suspended or deferred sentence and

sentences served at a young offenders’ institution

or community home)

or

• The applicant is a registered sex offender or is

subject to a registration requirement in respect

of any other conviction.

For all other convictions or cautions, there is a rebuttable

presumption that they should be rejected. In particular,

the following would result in rejection: offences where

vulnerable people were targeted; offences motivated

by hate or discrimination; domestic abuse offences.

Although the rebuttable presumption is that these should

lead to rejection, there will be cases where this may be

disproportionate in the circumstances. For instance,

where the offence was committed as a juvenile, it was

not serious and the individual has demonstrated a

commitment to help individuals or communities in the

subsequent years.

Do I have to declare if I was arrested but not charged?

Yes. You must declare if you have ever been subject

to a criminal investigation whether or not this led to a

prosecution. Failure to make such declarations will lead

to your application being rejected.

What if I've been bankrupt before?

You can still apply but only if it is three years after

bankruptcy debts have been discharged.

How about County Court Judgments (CCJ)?

If the judgment has been discharged then you can be

considered, however if you have an existing judgment

your application will be unsuccessful.

Can I continue with my other business?

You must declare any other employment for hire or

gain or any other business interests that you intend to

maintain. A decision on whether it is considered that

your business interests are compatible with performing

the role of police officer will be made on the basis of the

information you provide during application.

Vetting – your questions answered


“You learn every single day about different cultures, backgrounds and people.”Aleks, Police Community Support Officer

4. TRANSFERRING TO HAMPSHIRE

We welcome transferees who share our values and have the skills to serve our local communities.

In order to transfer to us, you will need to:

• be a serving police officer in a Home

Office force and have completed the

two-year probationary period and the

Policing Diploma or your force’s equivalent

qualification at the point of application to

pass the necessary vetting and occupational

health checks

• pass the basic fitness test, which includes a

shuttle run (bleep test) to level 5.4 or above

• have no outstanding disciplinary or integrity

issues

• be able to show commitment to achieving

high levels of attendance, judged against

absence records for three years

• have resided in the UK for three years

immediately prior to submitting your

application

• not be a member of the British National

Party (BNP) or similar organisation

• declare any business interest

• hold a full manual driving licence

To apply to our transferee scheme, please visit

our website and search “Transferee”.


“We welcome talent from across the policing family. If you share our values, why not get in touch to discuss the opportunities that we now have.”Olivia, Chief Constable

5. CONCERNS ABOUT APPLYING

You’d like to apply but something’s holding you back…

Application process

We appreciate that the application process is lengthy.

However, it’s this rigorous approach which ensures we

select people who will make great police officers.

Diversity

We are committed to promoting equality and respect

for diversity in the way we serve Hampshire in

delivering policing and also as an employer. We welcome

applications from everyone in the community, particularly

people from black, Asian and minority ethnic (BAME) and

white other backgrounds. We also encourage applications

from the LGBT community and people with disabilities.

Fitness

While we don’t expect you to be a professional athlete,

we do require a reasonable level of fitness to become a

police officer. You will need to complete the fitness test

as part of your application, again as part of your initial

training and on an annual basis once as an officer. We test

endurance through a fitness shuttle commonly known as

the bleep test. A good indicator of the fitness level needed

for this test is to be able to run at a good pace for around

four minutes over a distance of about 700 metres. The

required pass level is 5.4, which means completion of five

levels and four shuttles.

Lacking experience

All too often people don’t realise they’ve got the skills

that we’re looking for, so please don’t be put off applying

by any of those preconceptions. If you don’t currently

meet the eligibility criteria for becoming a police officer,

there are lots of different roles within policing that are

also rewarding. Better still, doing one of these for a few

years can help you get the skills you need to become an

officer.

Other people’s perceptions

Policing faces both positive and negative perceptions.

As a force, we subscribe to the highest ethics and

request our people to do the same. The majority of

our officers and staff demonstrate the highest levels of

professionalism, integrity and standards. By joining us,

we will expect you to also demonstrate these values and

help us improve confidence in policing generally.

Potential danger

With policing, you cannot predict what you will respond

to and sometimes this does mean putting people into

challenging situations. However, through our in-depth

training and ongoing support you will be well prepared

to deal with whatever you are faced with. You’re also not

alone – we are a team and will always have each other’s

backs.

Working hours

The normal working week is 40 hours in shifts that cover

24/7 on a rotational pattern. This does include evenings,

weekends and bank holidays. All shifts are available in

advance meaning you will always know when you will

be working and we always try to accommodate staff

requests, as long as they fit in with operational demands.

We also recognise the benefits of flexible working and are

committed to equality of opportunity and the promotion

of work-life balance.



NOTES


We look for all kinds of skills, because it takes all kinds of people to protect the public.

If you have any other questions, or would like to know more

about the role and/or Hampshire Police, please contact the

recruitment team on [email protected]

who will be happy to arrange a conversation with you.

IF YOU ARE APPLYING FOR A ROLE, GOOD LUCK!

WE LOOK FORWARD TO RECEIVING YOUR

APPLICATION

mailto:[email protected]

Documents

GUIDE TO BECOMING A POLICE OFFICER · evidence of an acceptable English language qualification if their degree was not taught and assessed in English. 3. Pre-join degree in professional