Joining the police.
Discussion
Just wondering if anyone can give me any tips/advice really. I turn 18 in July this year and although I wouldn't be looking at joining straight away, it's something i've always wanted to do, and have though very seriously about what I could do.
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
TAHodgson said:
Just wondering if anyone can give me any tips/advice really. I turn 18 in July this year and although I wouldn't be looking at joining straight away, it's something i've always wanted to do, and have though very seriously about what I could do.
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
My Brother is a PCSO in Chelsea and Kensington and from what he has told me it sounds like great fun! Internal recruitment has just opened up for about 300 Police Constable roles. My Brother was one of the first to apply but it doesnt look like he is even going to get an interview!As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
I looked into joining a little while ago but The MET have frozen recruitment and are only taking on Specials (unpaid volunteer police officers). To become a Police Officer you must go to college and take the PLC course. You then have to wait until your local force are recruiting and hope that you get picked. You cant even become a PCSO anymore as they no longer recruit them.
I am a PC, mrs biscuit is a PCSO. Getting into the Police agt the moment is a massive challenge, due to the huge funding cuts the government has put in place. At 18, my advice would be to go get some people skills and life experience - you can't learn everytihng you need to be a PC / PCSO from training - you do need life experience.
One way to get a foot in the door is as a Special Constable, however, at 18, you will find the regulars may be wary of you, in that experience teaches us that 18-20 yr old Specials have a tendancy to do alot of warrant card waving and opening mouths without thinking, often making the situation worse. I have seen our 19 yr old Special come very close to getting a slap on occasion, and have to be bailed out on more than one occasion, where he has made a situation ten times worse, purely because he has limited people skills.
One way to get a foot in the door is as a Special Constable, however, at 18, you will find the regulars may be wary of you, in that experience teaches us that 18-20 yr old Specials have a tendancy to do alot of warrant card waving and opening mouths without thinking, often making the situation worse. I have seen our 19 yr old Special come very close to getting a slap on occasion, and have to be bailed out on more than one occasion, where he has made a situation ten times worse, purely because he has limited people skills.
The whole recruitment thing is about to change. There is talk of an American style system. There is talk of PCSO's being a stepping stone etc etc. Much won't be known until next year.
You need to firstly decide why you want to do it? Is it something you want to do or just a 'good' job with good pay etc. If the latter then I'd look somewhere else as you'll soon find yourself wanting out and will have missed out on other opportunities.
Contact them about a day out with an officer.
First though travel. Or join the military and get some varied experiences. Dont join at 18 or similar ages as I think you grow up a lot in the next 4/5 years. You also bring more in to the occupation with some life experience. Specials are a great insight but can be limited in terms of the force you are in.
You need to firstly decide why you want to do it? Is it something you want to do or just a 'good' job with good pay etc. If the latter then I'd look somewhere else as you'll soon find yourself wanting out and will have missed out on other opportunities.
Contact them about a day out with an officer.
First though travel. Or join the military and get some varied experiences. Dont join at 18 or similar ages as I think you grow up a lot in the next 4/5 years. You also bring more in to the occupation with some life experience. Specials are a great insight but can be limited in terms of the force you are in.
TAHodgson said:
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers,
Hmmm, this would worry me if I were looking at recruiting you. That and the bit about Traffic and Dogs (the two most televised specialisations)You realise in certain circles the police are seen as up-market security guards?
Bit late to the party on this one, but wholeheartedly agree with what has already been said.
I only know one person who managed to get into plod as a teenager. They were a very mature teenager though, which obviously was a stand out of the crowd type of demeanour.
I applied a year or so ago (at 28), missed passing the papersift by a couple of marks but was invited to apply to be an SC. Didn't apply as a ton of defecation hit the oscillation around about that time, and although I kick myself for not doing it - I sometimes look back and think "lucky escape" as the budget cuts (and recruitment freeze by most if not all of the HO forces around the country) mean that I'd have ended up being an SC for the foreseeable, not even being able to jump up to PCSO level (and they are more than just a security guard, irrespective of what you may hear or see)
The life experience bit is a key proponent of what plod recruitment look for - you have to be able to recall situations in which you can show that your actions helped diffuse a situation, or times when you ended up being put in a position where you had to tell someone something that you knew they weren't going to like for example. It's all well and good saying "I'll be able to do that!" but remember, you only get one chance per 6 months at applying - and that's only when applications are open. It needs to be an A1, top quality, 100% correct application or else you'll waste your time.
Some universities do a uniformed services course - it's only a year or two and gives you a good insight into not just plod, but fire, paramedics etc and some forces look favourably upon completion of this course. Also, the more you can do that puts you out in the public, the better your experience of dealing with the public is, even if it's just a retail job for beer money on a Saturday, as long as you aren't a muppet, and force yourself to go to bigger and better things rather than ride along without influencing your path, you'll do fine.
I only know one person who managed to get into plod as a teenager. They were a very mature teenager though, which obviously was a stand out of the crowd type of demeanour.
I applied a year or so ago (at 28), missed passing the papersift by a couple of marks but was invited to apply to be an SC. Didn't apply as a ton of defecation hit the oscillation around about that time, and although I kick myself for not doing it - I sometimes look back and think "lucky escape" as the budget cuts (and recruitment freeze by most if not all of the HO forces around the country) mean that I'd have ended up being an SC for the foreseeable, not even being able to jump up to PCSO level (and they are more than just a security guard, irrespective of what you may hear or see)
The life experience bit is a key proponent of what plod recruitment look for - you have to be able to recall situations in which you can show that your actions helped diffuse a situation, or times when you ended up being put in a position where you had to tell someone something that you knew they weren't going to like for example. It's all well and good saying "I'll be able to do that!" but remember, you only get one chance per 6 months at applying - and that's only when applications are open. It needs to be an A1, top quality, 100% correct application or else you'll waste your time.
Some universities do a uniformed services course - it's only a year or two and gives you a good insight into not just plod, but fire, paramedics etc and some forces look favourably upon completion of this course. Also, the more you can do that puts you out in the public, the better your experience of dealing with the public is, even if it's just a retail job for beer money on a Saturday, as long as you aren't a muppet, and force yourself to go to bigger and better things rather than ride along without influencing your path, you'll do fine.
you do shift work so weekends aren't your own, you can work lates which mean through the night so sleep patterns are disrupted and you often have people that won't like you because you are a PC which isn't right but it's true. So, in your day to day life you have to be more careful too.
but, the pay isn't bad, the pension is great and you get some good perks.
but, the pay isn't bad, the pension is great and you get some good perks.
Joining the police is something like you I have always wanted to do...
I mistakingly went into sales but it did give me a chance to deal with people. Life changed for me (Marriage, Kid, House) and plans got delayed.
But I got into the Police Custody side of it...
Best thing I did, opened up my eyes to the policing side of things and you get to deal with the end result.
Maybe try and get into your local custody centre?
I mistakingly went into sales but it did give me a chance to deal with people. Life changed for me (Marriage, Kid, House) and plans got delayed.
But I got into the Police Custody side of it...
Best thing I did, opened up my eyes to the policing side of things and you get to deal with the end result.
Maybe try and get into your local custody centre?
I applied a long time ago... the whole recruitment process is a joke.
I spent a fortune and wasted a lot of time and money.
I applied and heard nothing for literally months. After about 6 months I was invited to an assessment centre, which I passed with around 80%. I then heard nothing for another 6 months. I was then invited to a fitness test, which I passed... then heard nothing for another few months.
Then I started receiving starting date, many came and went, different intake came and went.
Then to top it off I was asked to get the doctor to sign my medical form (£50 for a signature), and in the same week, the day after I posted the medical form back, they sent a letter saying recruitment was on hold, which they must have known before asking me to do my medical stuff.
In total from applying to recruitment being frozen was 2 years. I then had a couple of letter saying I was on hold and would be kept up to date... eventually they stopped too.
I would still love to do it, and given the chance I would jump at it despite all the bulls
t and the fact I would have to take frankly staggering paycut and would probably never get on the same money again even after 30 years in service.
At first I was quite bitter and having wasted 2 weeks worth of holiday and a few hundred quid going through the process... now I'm frankly just staggered at how poorly something can be run. If it was a business it would go under and everyone would loose their jobs... oh wait a minute!
I spent a fortune and wasted a lot of time and money.
I applied and heard nothing for literally months. After about 6 months I was invited to an assessment centre, which I passed with around 80%. I then heard nothing for another 6 months. I was then invited to a fitness test, which I passed... then heard nothing for another few months.
Then I started receiving starting date, many came and went, different intake came and went.
Then to top it off I was asked to get the doctor to sign my medical form (£50 for a signature), and in the same week, the day after I posted the medical form back, they sent a letter saying recruitment was on hold, which they must have known before asking me to do my medical stuff.
In total from applying to recruitment being frozen was 2 years. I then had a couple of letter saying I was on hold and would be kept up to date... eventually they stopped too.
I would still love to do it, and given the chance I would jump at it despite all the bulls
t and the fact I would have to take frankly staggering paycut and would probably never get on the same money again even after 30 years in service.At first I was quite bitter and having wasted 2 weeks worth of holiday and a few hundred quid going through the process... now I'm frankly just staggered at how poorly something can be run. If it was a business it would go under and everyone would loose their jobs... oh wait a minute!
TAHodgson said:
Just wondering if anyone can give me any tips/advice really. I turn 18 in July this year and although I wouldn't be looking at joining straight away, it's something i've always wanted to do, and have though very seriously about what I could do.
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
No chance mate.As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
They ain't hiring for love nor money. My missus is a murder detective....
Its horrible out there (srs). I really feel for those who have done their 30years service..
Tyson1980 said:
TAHodgson said:
Just wondering if anyone can give me any tips/advice really. I turn 18 in July this year and although I wouldn't be looking at joining straight away, it's something i've always wanted to do, and have though very seriously about what I could do.
As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
No chance mate. They ain't hiring for love nor money...As far as i'm aware, when you join there is a compulsory 2 year PCSO placement, which is the bit i'm unsure of really. As in my area CSO's are seen as up-market security guards with no police powers, I don't know how true this is.
In the long run, the areas that interest me the most appear to be dog handling, or traffic. Anyone know if the joining procedure is the same for all areas of policing?
Thanks for looking guys.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-merseyside-14...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-tees-14399051
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/entertainment-arts-14182...
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-14181344
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