Police Recruitment Process
The process of police recruitment can be quite lengthy, taking in excess of 12 months in some cases. It is always a good idea to find out from your chosen Force what the predicted recruitment time scale is. Throughout this overview you will note that we mention honesty and integrity. We cannot stress enough just how important this is. You must be honest with the Force to whom you are applying and leave nothing out. Minor convictions, cautions, fixed penalty notices etc are not an automatic rejection. Failing to inform the service that you have any of the above usually results in rejection.
The administrative process may vary very slightly from Force to Force but this variation does not apply to the fundamental parts of the assessment process which are.
- The Application Form and Competency Based Questions
- The Assessment Centre
- The fitness test
Other parts of the process are not as strictly guided and therefore may differ slightly in the way they are administered. We must stress however that these variations will be slight in nature.
The Recruitment Stages: The Application Form
Forces will run a recruitment campaign.Many Forces will have a dedicated recruitment 'hotline' where you will leave your details and an application pack will be sent out you. A return by date will be attached to the form and you must ensure that your form is returned within that time, otherwise it will not be processed.
A number of Forces do not send application forms to you. Instead they ask you to attend a meeting, at which the forms will be given out. This is one way of assessing your commitment, as you may need to travel some distance in order to collect your form.
Once you have received the application form you need to set about completing it and returning it to the Force of your choice within the indicated time scale.
It is important however that you do not rush this part of the process. Currently between 65% and 75% of applicants are rejected as a result of poorly completed forms.
The forms are lengthy and require time and commitment in order to ensure that they are completed to the exacting standards that are laid down in relation to this part of the process. Some useful tips are:
- Read the form thoroughly before answering any of the questions. By doing this you can then start to gather information that you may need in order to answer certain of the questions
- Write legibly, if you do not then you may be penalised. If the form cannot be read and the information readily obtained from it then you will be rejected
- Ensure that your spelling is up to speed. Poor spelling can lead to rejection.
- Be careful not to give the impression that you have missed a question. Mark the question with N/A if it is not applicable. This will indicate to the assessor that you considered the question.
- When answering the competency based questions choose an example that best illustrates the competency being assessed. Remember that it is you being assessed, so avoid using terms like "We did this" and We did that". Write it in the first person. In broad terms the example should include what the situation was and what happened, what you did or said, what others did or said, what effect your involvement had upon the situation and finally what the outcome was. Practise writing your examples on other paper and only commit it to the form when you are happy with it. The competency based questions account for a sizeable % of the rejections at this stage
- Very importantly you must be honest when you complete the form. If you have a conviction or a caution for offences you must declare it. The conviction or caution may not lead to your rejection, but failure to disclose it will, as this puts a question mark over your honesty and integrity.
- Sign the application form
- Have someone read over and check your form before you submit it. They may see something obvious that you have overlooked
- Keep a copy of your completed form.
- Ensure the correct postage
You will eventually receive notification of either rejection or progression. If you have been successful you will be notified of your Assessment Centre date. This notification could be as little as two weeks before the Assessment is due to take place.
Assessment Centre
The Assessment Centre is a process not a place. Prior to attending the process you will receive, through the post, information concerning the Assessment. It is crucial that you read this information fully as it will give you lots of background information, and in reality clues about passing. In fact some think that there is too much information within this document, that's how valuable it is.The Assessment Centre is structured around a fictitious shopping centre and you will take the role of a customer services officer. During the process you will be required to deal with a number of situations related to the centre.
There are four main parts of the Assessment process:
- Written
- Interview
- Interactive (Role Play)
- Police Initial Recruitment Test
The Written Assessment is currently two 20 minute exercises where candidates are required to prepare letters or proposals. This exercise not only examines your ability to problem solve but also assesses your written skills, including spelling and grammar.
During the interview stage, you will be asked four questions. The interviewer is generally also the Assessor and time keeper. The interview is very structured and time bound. You will be required to give evidence of competency in four out of the seven competency areas. In addition to this Communication is assessed throughout the interview.
The interactive stations tend to cause most concern to candidates. There are four stations, each of which has attached a preparation station. You are allowed five minutes preparation for each station. During this time you will be required to read through background information concerning the station that you are about to enter. You are allowed to make notes and take these notes with you into the station. Each of the stations last for five minutes and timings are indicated by a buzzer, or in some cases a whistle. Upon entering the station you will see a Role Actor and an Assessor, both of whom will be sitting down. There will an empty chair. That is for you. You will then be required to deal with the situation presented to you. Don't forget, you will already know quite a bit about what to expect as you would have just completed your five minutes preparation.
The Police Initial Recruitment Test is not an IQ test. It does not assess your intelligence. You will be required to complete two papers:
- Numerical (12 minutes)
- Verbal Logical Reasoning (25 minutes)
Assessment Centre Results
You will receive your result usually within 14 days. If you have been successful then your pass will last for 12 months.Post Assessment Centre
Some Forces hold In Force interviews. This is mainly because the Assessment Centre is so structured there has not been an opportunity to explore in detail issues such as why you want to join the service, and what you know about the Force you have applied to etc. Expect to be asked questions relating to the seven competency areas and expect to be put under pressure.Fitness Assessment
The fitness assessment is also national, with all candidates needing to achieve exactly the same standard to passThe elements involved are:
Fifteen Metre progressive shuttle run. During this test you are required to run up and down a measured 15 metre course. The rate at which you run is governed by a timed series of bleeps played on a CD. You will hear the bleep and run to the end of the 15 metre course where you will turn and wait until you hear the bleep again, and then you will run back. This is then repeated until the test ends or you drop out. During the test the bleeps get closer and closer together making you run faster and faster. You must achieve level 5, shuttle 4 which in reality is less than 4 minutes running.
Test of dynamic strength. For this test a machine called a Dyno is used. This machine tests your upper body dynamic strength. This test has two parts to it, pushing and pulling. You have 5 attempts at both pushing and pulling and the machine will work out the average amount of power that you have exerted. The average for the pull needs to be a least 35kg and the average for the push needs to be at least 34kg.
Medical
You will be required to complete a medical questionnaire, a lengthy document, which in the main asks you 'yes' or 'no' questions. Many Forces are now requesting that this form is signed by your GP. This can and does lead to delays in the processing of your application. If you answer 'yes' to any of the questions then further information may be required from your GP or a specialist before a decision can be made about your suitability. In order for this information to be obtained you will be required to sign a release form.As with all parts of the process it is extremely important that you include all relevant details on your medical questionnaire. If it is later found that you omitted information then you will be rejected. If you are already a serving officer when the omission is discovered, you could lose your job.