HOW TO BECOME A POLICE OFFICER

Dealing with criminals on a daily basis, unsociable hours, and dangerous scenarios – becoming a
police officer is genuinely challenging, but that’s also what can make it so rewarding.

A career in the police force offers a healthy salary and plenty of opportunity for
progression, but, equally, it regularly demands anti-social hours and is a potentially stressful
profession.
As the Institute For Apprenticeships says:
'Being a police constable (officer)* is a physically and intellectually demanding occupation,
requiring high levels of emotional intelligence, strong behavioural interpretation skills
(understanding behaviour in an individual, social, and cultural context), and an ability to analyse
and resolve rapidly evolving events.
'Police constables have a unique employment status, as every police constable is a warranted
officer, making autonomous lawful decisions including taking away an individual’s liberty if
required.
'Police constables exercise wide-ranging powers to maintain the peace and uphold the law across
complex and diverse communities. They must justify and personally account for their actions
through differing legal frameworks including courts, while also under the close scrutiny of the
public'.
* 'Police constable' refers to a rank that virtually all police officers will start as. 'Police officer'
refers to all ranks from police constable to chief constable of a county constabulary. With there
being such a wide range of roles within the policing profession, there's plenty of scope for career
progression.

What does a police officer do?

As a police officer you'll carry out a wide range of tasks, such as:

 Provision of an initial autonomous response to incidents, meaning you have to make

decisions yourself, which can be complex, confrontational and life threatening, to bring
about the best possible outcomes – a neighbourhood dispute which potentially could
become violent, for example.
 Conducting risk and threat analyses across complex, diverse situations, such as a derby
football match between local rivals.
 Investigating incidents and crimes, managing crime scenes and evidence, and handling
suspects, such as a road traffic accident that has led to a death.
 Providing leadership to the public and supporting victims, witnesses and vulnerable
people.