Before we go ahead and set out the details of the sages involved in the police recruitment process, it is definitely worth bearing in mind that the majority of police forces are not recruiting at the same level they were just a few years ago. Huge budget cuts have been imposed on all forces and this means that the competition to join would have been notched up by several degrees.

Having said this, even during these times of austerity, the stages involved remain the same and it is equally important to prepare yourself for each stage as you go along as best as you can.

Stage one involves you checking to make sure you are actually eligible to join the police force in the first instance and if this transpires to be the case, you will then apply to the forces that you are interested in for an application form. The application form is where some 60% of applicants fall by the wayside as they fail to fill-in the form properly at this early point in the process. There are numerous websites where you can find helpful hints and tips on how best to complete this application form and it is strongly recommended that you consult these and do some research before putting pen to paper on the form itself.

Make sure your application form is as strong as you can make it and filled-in correctly: police forces are merciless when they go through such applications and you will only have one chance to really impress them and hope that they invite you to the next stage of the process – The Police Initial Recruitment Test (PIRT).

This test has actually been standardised across all 43 forces in the country and this is aimed at attempting to identify whether or not you have the right personality to become a police officer. You will attend an assessment centre and there are again websites that offer you hints and tips on what to expect during this important day.

Next, you would have to take the Police Fitness Test and this evaluates your level of stamina and dynamic strength. If you were to fail this test, there is a little more leniency here and you can actually take it up to three times more. If you do not pass any of these tests, your hope of becoming a police officer will definitely be over. Therefore, it is highly recommended that you ensure that you are as fit as possible before taking such a test.

The final stages of the police recruitment process is to make certain checks on the suitability of your becoming a police officer and these include:

 Health checks
 Background and security checks (which will involve verifying references that you have provided)
 Security clearance

If all of the above checks prove to be successful, you will have completed the application process to become a police officer. Whilst these stages may sound very daunting at this stage, there needs to be rigorous stages to the application process to join a police force, but you can prepare for every stage and give yourself a real advantage as you go along.

There is no denying the fact that our world has changed tremendously over the past few decades. Only as far back as the 1970’s or early 80’s, if we ever espied anyone committing an offence, we could apprehend them by way of carrying out a citizen’s arrest, drag them along to the nearest police station, and lap up all of the praise from the officers present as they congratulated you for undertaking what people commonly believed to be their standard duty as an upstanding member of British society.

In actual fact, I am able to personally relate to such an incident and around the same time. When I was 16, I caught three burglars within my home and gave chase to them. Unfortunately, two managed to get away with a considerable amount of my Mother’s jewellery, but I caught hold of one and managed to detain him within the house, under a citizen’s arrest, until the local police were able to come and collect him. I was very proud of my actions here and actually received a letter of commendation from the Chief Constable of Devon and Cornwall Police.

However, do you know what? I think I would definitely think twice about carrying out any form of citizen’s arrest nowadays. Having studied law since, I have seen the extent of human rights laws that are firmly in place to protect the rights of the law breakers. If I were to analyse my actions from over 20 years ago, I am aware of the fact that I could have been charged with false imprisonment or some other mamby-pamby human rights law that many people believe are ill-placed to protect the criminals.

As the law currently stands, under the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE), a person is entitled to undertake a citizen’s arrest if the defendant being apprehended is suspected of having committed an indictable offence. In other words, a more serious crime that could actually end up being referred to the Crown Court, rather than what is known as a ‘summary’ offence which would only be dealt with through a Magistrates’ Court.

Now, this is where things are bound to become a little grey for the average member of public. Most people believe that they are able to carry out a citizen’s arrest whenever they spot someone committing any type of unlawful behaviour, however, this is far from the case, and if you end up getting things wrong (which is highly likely), you run the risk of having action brought against you for wrongful arrest.

So the most prudent advice here would be to definitely steer well clear of making a citizen’s arrest in the first instance. Not only are there statutory laws in place to dictate the circumstances in which such an apprehension can be made, but PACE actually goes much further in laying down exactly how you can make that arrest in a lawful manner.

We also need to seriously think about the news stories of so called ‘have a go heroes’ that attempt to deal with unlawful behaviour, but actually end up becoming a victim themselves. This may well be when they are literally stabbed to death by the perpetrator of the crime that they were attempting to apprehend. With this in mind, if you would consider yourself to be the type of individual who would definitely try to carry out a citizen’s arrest on a person seen to be committing a crime – do take heed from this article and think again!

Our society has changed exponentially over the past 30 or 40 years and it is an unfortunate fact that we no longer live in a country that is safe. Moreover, human rights laws often appear to be more heavily stacked in the favour of the criminal, rather than the upstanding member of the community who might be trying to address the growing problem of crime in their area. Leave policing to the right people; by all means report the crime at the first available opportunity, but never attempt to make any form of citizen’s arrest yourself – it is very unlikely that you will be thanked for this and you will run the risk of serious bodily harm. 

If you are seriously thinking about joining the police, the first thing you need to bear in mind is the fact that the very nature of this role of employment is unlike most others. In other words, it can be very dangerous indeed, as the recent stabbing of four Metropolitan police officers in north-west London proved.

If you do make it to the official training process for any police force, you will find that all courses concentrate heavily on learning how to defend and protect yourself from a certain element of society. We have all heard the news about more and more criminals carrying knives nowadays, therefore, it is inevitable that as a police officer, you are more likely to encounter such thugs now than ever.

Becoming a police officer is not the same as it would have been around 30 years ago or more. Back in the 1970’s, if a police officer found a youth misbehaving in some unlawful way, they could literally clip them across the ear and take them back to their parents for a darn good telling off. How things have changed over the decades – and definitely not for the better, as more and more extreme human rights laws manage to worm their way onto the statute books. Today, if a police officer were to furnish an unruly youth with any form of corporal discipline, you can rest assured that they would be dismissed from their job within a flash of lightening.

This is another element that is concentrated on very heavily within any police training course. Your entire personality is stripped back to basics, in order to find out whether or not you have the exact temperament to cope with such a demanding role of employment. Very often, the training officers will push you to such an extreme, your entire reaction will be assessed to ascertain if you are the right type of individual to become a police officer.

If you contemplate all of the dangers that are prevalent within our society from criminals, it becomes obvious that police training courses need to be of this serious nature. After all, police officers need to be made fully aware of what they could face out on the streets and need to be able to protect themselves as far as possible.

The stabbing of four Metropolitan officers in Harrow, north-west London, was our latest reminder of just how things can become for the boys in blue. Three officers in their twenties and one in his thirties were stabbed with a 12 inch meat cleaver, after they had managed to corner a thug in a butchers shop. This was proof of how little respect there is for the police nowadays and that criminals will go to far more extreme measures to try and avoid arrest.

Then, of course, we need to discuss the growing number of forearms on our streets and the fact that as an ordinary police officer, you would not be carrying one yourself in your everyday duties. More and more people are starting to argue that this gives any police officer a very unfair advantage and it is not reflective of our current society. Our idealistic preference to ensure that the ordinary police officer is not furnished with a gun is merely an insistence to keep us back in a time where far fewer dangers were prevalent to the police force.

Whatever your views on police officers carrying firearms, if you are seriously thinking about joining the force, you need to bear in mind that you will be restricted to an arsenal of rather pathetic defensive weapons. You will be taught how to make best use of these, obviously, but you will always be worrying if the next criminal that you apprehend is carrying a weapon that you could never hope to compete against.

It would seem that it is definitely time for all police forces to drag themselves into the twenty-first century. The United Kingdom is not the sleepy place from Enid Blyton books, as the politicians would all have you believe; alas, our society is under threat from more and more cunning international criminal gangs as our Border Agency continues to fail to protect us and just lets them keep pouring in. This, however, is an entirely different subject and one that we are very likely to tackle here in the near future.

Being a policeman entails respect and authority. There’s something about the profession that lets civilians follow and observe law and order. However, policemen do not earn this kind of respect without working very hard for it in the beginning. Having this kind of job is such a huge responsibility that sometimes, you tend to prioritise the lives of others first for the sake of their safety. But even though Policemen are facing challenging duties, the UK Police Force gives back by providing adequate benefits for them and even their families.

Salary

First off, the UK Police Force offers quite reasonable salaries for officers depending on their rankings. A constable’s salary starts at approximately £23,259 while a deputy commissioner earns approximately £149,463. For low-ranking officers, you have the chance to increase what you’re currently earning by taking more trainings and exams. If you pass, you will be eligible for promotion. And other than your base pay, all of the officers in the Police Force have allowances that can reach up to £6,501.

Work Schedule

Next to salary, having a job in the Police Force lets you handle your time more flexibly than most of the other jobs. Though there are times that you have to sacrifice your private schedule because of unexpected crimes or disasters, your work hours is basically ranging from 35-37 a week with two rest days. Aside from these, police officers receive a higher salary for working in shifts, unsocial hours, working on out-of-duty-emergency cases and overtime.

Police Transfers

There are numerous territorial forces in the UK and even though the Police Force is divided into three legal systems, the sworn officer will automatically become a part of the Scottish Police Federation (SPF) or the Police Federation of England & Wales or Police Federation for Northern Ireland. So whenever they decide to transfer places, there are a lot of police transfers offered depending on the availability of their position.

 Connections and Special Offers

Being respectable in the field of policing a community creates a broader connection with other people. Because police officers belong to public service, it’s inevitable that they meet important people in the industry who need their services. People such as politicians, royalties and even celebrities need the Police’s services. Other than this, communities provide special recognitions and even discounts and membership privileges for police officers in clubs, social and welfare communities, educational institutes etc.

Death and Burial Benefits

Police officers are honoured in their funeral for the service they have provided for their fellowmen and the country. Whether a member of the Police force dies naturally or by accident, they are given a grand burial with salutation rights which only theirs and the military sectors can acquire. This field of profession may be filled with challenges and difficulties and most of the times it’s not the most lavish jobs in the world. However, it sends out a very fulfilling journey from the beginning of a man’s career down to the very end.

Terrorism is by far, the worst that can happen to a country beside war. As unfathomable that act of terrorism is, there is no exact definition of it. Every country has its own definition of terrorism. On international matters, this beyond tragic event can be classified based on its elements. An act or an operation can be distinguished as terrorism if first of all it is inevitably political in aims and motives. A terrorism act is also always violent and full of threat. It doesn’t choose a victim as everybody in the premises at the time of destruction is a victim. Terrorism acts aren’t just simple mass destructions. These are carefully laid-out plans and operandi that entail a psychological repercussion in the end. Take the U.S. 9/11 tragedy for example. Last but not the least, terrorism is usually conducted by an organization with an identifiable chain of command or conspiratorial cell structure (whose members wear no uniform or identifying insignia) and perpetrated by a subnational group or non-state entity.

Among all the Ministry of Defence and the country’s Law Enforcement’s concern, terrorism is on top of the list. Without the proper precautions and highly trained defence forces, it can devastate a country for a very long time. As for the UK Police, they are doing everything in their power and authority to produce counter-terrorism acts and protect the country and its citizens from dire tragedy.

To fully observe and manage the police force’s counter-terrorism project, a public body under the Home Office of the United Kingdom named Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism (OSCT) takes charge. The department’s primary objective is to protect the public from terrorism by working with others to develop and deliver the UK’s counter-terrorism strategy. Their main responsibilities are to:

• Support the Home Secretary and other Ministers in directing and implementing CONTEST – the government’s strategy for countering international terrorism.
• deliver aspects of this strategy directly, through legislation, guidance and funding
• set the strategic government response to terrorism-related crises through the Cabinet Office briefing rooms (COBR) mechanism
• manage the Home Secretary’s statutory relationship with the Security Service
• Manage the Olympic and Paralympic safety and security programme for the London 2012 Games.

UK is a country with a large variety of commerce, livelihood and tourism that attracts many foreigners going in and out of the country. Though international relations is always a good thing and is all about progression and making partnerships, the UK Police is extra careful for the sake of the innocent citizens’ protection. The country’s boarders, airports, seaports and government agencies are closely monitored when it comes to receiving arrivals and sending off departures. Intentions of visit, valuable brought and travelling papers are reviewed and checked in various ports before fully entering the country.

Along with these precautions, the Office for Security and Counter-Terrorism also planned out various counter-terrorism acts and has worked with the Police force to train all of the officers extensively for possible terrorism encounters. The government also provides a team of experts that is responsible in guiding the innocent people whenever tragic times occur. Most of all, they are on a continuous study on improving skills, tactics and precautions through high technology and faster response basis.

Police officers in the United Kingdom aren’t allowed to carry firearms on ordinary circumstances. This law dates back from the formation of the Metropolitan Police Service where police weren’t supposed to be armed in order not to cause public fear of authority and sometimes abuse of powers. In the UK, only the British Armed Forces- especially the military- are allowed to carry firearms. However, these instances are very seldom and only happen on special occasions and dangerous and critical national matters.

This notion has been an on-going debate up until today as weapons can only be used as a sign of authority and threat and not to end somebody’s life. However, there are certain circumstances where they come in useful especially on critical and very dangerous matters where a criminal is the one threating the officers’ or its victim/s’ lives. The UK Police has been firm with their law where day-to-day patrolling police officers cannot carry firearms but they have self-defence equipment that may cause threat and impose authority to those who break the law. Examples of these are the baton, hand or leg restraints and even electric tasers for stubborn criminals that impose severe violence upon them. Possession of tasers in the UK without special training and a police badge is punishable by law. Hence, the usage of such weapons by the police went through a long debate before it was considered a “less lethal” weapon that can disarm an arrested person in times of great need.

The no firearms regulation in the UK Police is followed by all the patrolling officers. They cannot roam around their areas of responsibility with a single firearm on ordinary days. But when it comes to emergencies and instances of terrorism or severe crimes, a specially trained body of the UK Police named Authorised Firearms Officers (AFO) are allowed to carry firearms on endangered premises.

The UK Police firearms are separated into two categories. The Standard Weapons handled by the Authorised Firearms Officers and the Specialist Weapons handled by the Specialist Firearms Officers. Standard weapons are comprised of pistols and semi-automatic carbines. The UK Police is very meticulous and uniformed in choosing their firearms as their main goal is always self-defence and there should be no intention of taking one’s life intentionally even if they have done the law wrong except on the most crucial matters where more lives are at stake.

The UK Police especially the Metropolitan Police Service prefer Glock 17 and Glock 26 pistols. These pistols are commonly referred to as Glock “Safe Action” pistols and are designed and manufactured by Glock Gesellschaft mit beschränkter Haftung (Ges.m.b.H.), located in Deutsch-Wagram, Austria. Other manufacturers of the UK Police’s pistols are the Sig Sauer that produces Sig Sauer P226 and Walther that manufactures Walther P99 which is commonly used in the Nottinghamshire Constabulary. Semi-automatic carbines on the other hand are usually used in more extensive police operations. Some carbines that are used by the force are ones from Heckler and Koch, and Steyr AUG.

Moving on to the specialists weapons, this classification of firearms is for the highly trained police officers, usually hired by the Secret Service. Weapons include tear gases or L1A1 irritant chemical launchers and shotguns for door breaching and of course, snipers where only trained sharp shooters are allowed to use. Specialist Firearms Officers are commonly called on duty when it affects national matters for security and terrorism where the main goal is to guard the government especially the Prime Minister and the Royal Family.

Neighbourhood Policing is a UK Police campaign that aims to combine more effective governance in a local community through partnering with the local establishments, agencies and businesses. Though dedicated police officers are performing their duties, it’s not enough to cover all the leadership responsibilities on communities twenty-four hours a day, seven days a week. Through neighbourhood policing, local police stations can organise a team-up where the locals can elect a leader or appoint local agencies to help maintain effective leadership in the area.

Most people spend most of their time in their neighbourhood. It is where their homes are located and sometimes even their workplace, school and other establishments. It’s important for a person to feel secured in a neighbourhood that they refer to as home. The UK Police’s Neighbourhood Policing not only promotes an effective leadership in a community as this campaign has a lot more to offer.

Neighbourhood Policing aims to create a Good impact in the community. For locals to fully participate in projects and campaigns, leaders’ must give out a positive impression. This way, citizens will have the confidence in their own local governance that their duties are all for the betterment and safety of the community. One of the local neighbourhood officials’ duties is to monitor signal crimes and disorders and let the Police know as soon as possible. Instances such as drug dealings, criminal damages and speeding vehicles are common community offences that need to be addressed as soon as possible.

Neighbourhood Policing aims to let the locals be involved and be heard in a community. One of the reasons why the UK Police finds Neighbourhood Policing effective in a community is that it lets the people feel that they are a part of something meaningful. Many will be surprised at how many concerned citizens there are on keeping their homes and neighbourhood a liveable place and it only takes great leadership and camaraderie to let them cooperate. Unlike other countries, people in UK have rights on arresting people who have committed crimes. It’s called “every person’s powers” or “citizen’s arrest”. This right enables the public to be more involved as well as helping the police fight crimes better.

Neighbourhood policing isn’t just a simple team-up of the police and various local communities. This campaign is built with carefully planned strategies, shared and publicly agreed priorities and a simultaneous two-way communication between both ends. Though its aim is to uplift a neighbourhood by keeping the area crime-free and peaceful, there are certain hindrances and disadvantages of neighbourhood policing.

Like any other form of leadership, it’s inevitable to have problems when performing community governance. Some of these challenges may be financial constraints, lack of human resource and even too much information. Good and effective governance isn’t an easy task to do and it doesn’t just happen overnight. In order to help a community perform a lot better, local police stations must take the initiative in educating their people and making them aware of what might happen and how to handle such events. Keeping an area safe from crime and danger isn’t a one man effort alone. It takes a whole lot of hard work and camaraderie- the very things that neighbourhood policing is all about.

The United Kingdom is without a doubt one of the most successful countries in Europe and even the world. Divided into three parts: England and Wales, Scotland and Ireland, UK holds a very diverse nation in terms of culture, topography, commerce and history. However, united as they are, the UK Police force sets aside all these differences and do what they do best- to protect the people’s rights and treat them equally by giving them the justice they deserve.

The UK Police force cannot be fully tackled without mentioning the Metropolitan Police Service. Being the largest police area in Greater London and one of the oldest, not to mention having a very colourful history, the UK Police wouldn’t be as it is today without the Metropolitan Police Service.

The Metropolitan Police Service was formed in 1829 by Sir Robert Peel. It was also the year where Sir Charles Rowan and Richard Mayne were appointed as Justices of the Peace in charge of the Force. The service started out with only 1,000 officers policing a total population of 2 million within a 2-mile radius from Charring Cross. Centuries after and up to this day, the Metropolitan Police Service has 32,500 officers, 14,500 police staff, 230 traffic wardens and 4,300 Police Community Support Officers. All of these dedicated working men and women supervise and practice effective policing with a population of 7.2 million.

With a large police service such as the Metropolitan Police, its mission and values are quite simple yet straightforward and promising. All of the Metropolitan Police’s services, activities, trainings etc. can be all summed up in one continuous goal- Working together for a safer London. Everyday, at some time somewhere around the area, something happens. London police officers are working their best to prevent the worst from happening or find a solution to what has already happened. The Metropolitan Police cannot accomplish all of these without sticking to their values:

• We will have pride in delivering quality policing.
• There is no greater priority
• We will build trust by listening and responding
• We will respect and support each other and work as a team
• We will learn from experience and find ways to be even better

Together with the mission and values, the Metropolitan Police has created a series of strategies, programs and campaigns that are organised and designated into departments. This way, officers can work effectively by doing a specific job description as they work together in keeping their area safe and sound. The Metropolitan Police’s departments are:

• Air Support Unit
• Counter Terrorism Command – formerly the Anti-Terrorist Branch and Special Branch
• Art and Antiques Unit
• Charities Office
• Child Abuse Investigation Command
• Central Operations
• Directorate of Information
• Dog Support Unit
• Drugs Directorate
• Economic and Specialist Crime Command
• Firearms Enquiries Teams
• Specialist Firearms Command
• Forensic Services
• Homicide and Serious Crime Command
• Service Intelligence Bureau
• Mounted Branch
• Safer Neighbourhoods
• Serious and Organised Crime Command
• Specialist Operations
• Territorial Policing
• Trident and Trafalgar
• Traffic
• Transport
• Wildlife Crime
• Fraud Alert
• Structure of the Met
• Specialist Crime Directorate
• Specialist Operations
• Central Operations
• Local Borough Police