The Police Force

[echoz]

Hey all.

After looking at this site:

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/

and doing lots of thinking, the idea of joining is becoming quite appealing.

My Pros and Cons:

Pros:

I feel to be good at a job you have to take something away from it, and I thoroughly enjoy helping people in any way shape or form.

The salary as far as i'm aware is decent enough, atleast for my age it is.

There is room to excel and climb the career ladder.

It would mean being able to start a career path much earlier in life (against waiting 4 years to finish uni)

It brings something new to the table everyday of the week, with flexible hours and lots to learn ie challenging.

Cons:

I would become a university drop out

I remember reading that there were going to be massive police officer cuts somewhere

I may get my hopes up if I apply and then not get in leaving me feeling down and thus crushing my lowering enthusiasm for uni even more so.

I'm at uni at the moment studying to finally become a teacher, but after 4 years and near on £50k worth of debt by time I finish, along with living in a house with people I don't get on with, being away from my family and close friends/girlfriend, im struggling to keep any sort of enthusiasm to continue.

Any advice or opinions more than welcome, spark some Tuesday night debating

[dombanks]

echoz i would advise you join the special constabulary for a little while and get "out there" and experience what it is like first hand.

from experience i would say it would help you on the application. also dont drop out unitl you are deffo in as some of my friends took a couple of attempts to get into a force.

[echoz]

Cheers Dom, when joining the specials, do you specify the hours you wish to work?

[Doug Dastardly]

My cousin's a special and it seems to be pretty flexible, they ask her to do a shift and she either accepts or not. I think she has to do so many hours a year but otherwise is flexible.

It may be different when you first join or in different forces, I don't know.

I would think that's its good advice to try first by being a special and would help with any future application.

If you fancy being a teacher though, focus on that rather than the route to get there, a couple of years will pass quickly.

I've a couple of friends that are cops and they never complain about pay / conditions / time off, but they do moan about how difficult it is to get a conviction, even when they know who dunnit, and how leniently crims are dealt with in court.

[slater]

I read somewhere that to join now you have to be a special first, something to do with cost cutting. If you stick it out at uni for four years you will stand a much better chance of joining. Want something different every day, meet interesting people........join the Army   Girl I know wants to be a special constable vacancies are there but there is no money for interviews.

lewis

[cast iron]

I was in the Specials, not sure if it has a different name nowadays. You mainly end up doing traffic directions and car park duty at local shows, beat work on a saturday (nicking shoplifters etc) and fri sat evenings at chucking out time. 1 night a week will be training. some coppers like you some hate you (Pinching overtime etc) It certainly is a good way to see if its a career for you

[blitz]

All the above is good advice, especially the bit about being a Special.  It isn't all about helping people and making a differance.  Some people don't want help and you will be the enemy. It can be disgusting and dirty, terribly sad and depressing.  But from what I have seen it can also be rewarding, (not just the money) and you will have the power to help people who really need it, also with hard work and determination, you can put away people who really need it.  Be a Special, you will soon see if it is for you.   Unfortunatly most if not all Constabularies are not recruiting due to cuts in budget. So stay at Uni. till you get in and have tried being a Special.

Edited to add, forget being PCSO.

[echoz]

Looks like being a special is the way to go then. I agree with sticking to uni encase I don't get in. From what ive read so far from you guys my opinions and thoughts are shared so that's good

I know someone who joined the police force after being a chef all his life. He basically applied, I cant remember but I assume he had some sort of interview, and then went of Mon - Fri doing training for 16 weeks.

Anyone know if this is still the same? (Was about 6 or so years ago now)

[Hammy]

Casting a bit of a cloud here but ..... There is a bit of a freeze on at the moment and a move to make some plod persons redundant due to the large budget cuts.  I'd suggest you call a few HR departments to get the upto date position. There are phase cuts to forces over the next 4 years , so I'd guess recruitment will be minimal

I'm typing a bit slow here... I wouldnt drop out , forces want qualified people. Most police officers are on rotating shifts , with weekend working .

[adamnreeves]

Don't drop out of University yet or at least complete your Degree. If you've decided not to become a teacher and you doing the post graduate teacher training bit then can understand dropping out of that but for goodness sake with all the commitment/expense you have made thus far, complete the degree to reap the reward. The degree will get you into more interviews and you be a couple of rungs up the career ladder. When I was thinking of joining the RAF years ago I would have gone in as an NCO as I am degree qualified.

Oh and what a choice;  teaching screaming kids with attitude or enforcing law and order with the slightly older yobs!

[dombanks]

Cheers Dom, when joining the specials, do you specify the hours you wish to work?

I wouldnt know but a friend of mine did it in birkenhead on the wirral and said it was very rewarding. the reason i said is when i applied i thought the 5 questions on the form would have been very easier to answer if you had been a police officer already.

my cousins husband started as plod and is now in CID he says it is a very rewarding job but not all you see on tv.

adam is right about the degree it will help but it is no guarantee to any interviews. I was told by deloite i should go and redo my alevel physics and maths as my alevel grades are crap... even tho i was just fininshing a phd in surface physics.

Have you done any teaching experience? i thought being infront of a buch of kids would scare the living crap out of me but i found it really good.

[echoz]

Hammy this is also what I have heard

Adam I have just started my first year studying a BA in education studies with the choice to do a 4th year to do a PGCE in education to become a teacher. So as it stands if I were to drop out I wouldn't lose a silly amount of money. However I totally echo your comments

Dom I did 3 weeks work experience3 at my old Primary school, it's hard work at times but was b****y good fun and very rewarding

My Pro for uni is if i complete all 4 years, I can become a teacher and theres always going to be a need for teachers. Its just 4 years seems wasted in the process to that. Instead of earning 60k im losing 60k per say.

I wanna get on and do things with my life

[nikpro]

It really does take a different type of person to be a Police officer!

In most walks of life the average person will come into serious conflict may be once a month.

As a Police officer you will deal with 5% of the Population 95% of the time - these people have a true hatred of you that is instilled at birth. the vast majority of incidents you will attend as a patrol officer will involve at least one person pointing in your face calling you a w****r and a c*** ; most of the time you have to accept that.

Initially this has very little effect on you; then over numerous years it becomes wearing and eventually you hate them as much as they hate you!

very few other careers involve this type of conflict - not as the exception but faced hourly every day you are at work.

In respect to job security; there is a private mebers bill going through parliament to make Police officers redundant.

Apart from the above you face constant sources of danger that could cause injury and ill health retirement; I have been stabbed with hyperdermic syringes from Hep.B drug users, spat at regularly by the same, threatened to have my hand cut off with a sword unless I took the hancuffs off another person (If I had the effin key I would have done straight away!), beaten unconscious with my batton and radio stolen from me - I have been lucky up to now and have not suffered serious injury (Touches wood very quickly).

The pay is average for a 24hr shift worker (Starting salary of circa £23,000) but remeber a large quantity of that pay gets taken from you for a pension (soon to be 14%) and the working week is long - average 40hr shift work.

I have worked shifts all of my service and after 23yrs it takes it's toll - my sleep patterns and digestive systems are a complete mess.

The people you help very,very rarely appreciate it - they expect it so why should they thank you?

There are several restrictions on your private life - you can be called to court at any time with no recompense - I have had two foriegn holidays ruined because of this; the Police Force has the highest divorce rate of any occupation and everything you do is monitored - postings on forums/facebook etc.

Your children will be bullied at school for the fact you are a Police officer and you will not be able to react to this in the manner a normal person may react to it - it's very hard to watch loved ones come home beaten up every day because you are a Police officer!

Your Honesty and integrity are tested regularly by pro-active discipline departments who set 'tests' up for you to ensure you are dealing with matters as per the government/service's guidlines.

Further to this you will regularly receive complaints about the way you dealt with a person/incident - these are investigated to a far higher standard than if you were an average member of the public and all of them are career threatening.

I believe the above two points are neccessary as you should be beyond reproach as a Police Officer; however as much as people post here about corrupt Police officers fabricating evidence the vast majority of people you deal with will have good reason to fabricate evidence against you and the onus of proof on a Police Officer is the same as a civil court (balance of probability) rather than criminal as it is for the rest of society (beyond all reasonable doubt).

Promotion for a white hetrosexual male is becoming increasingly difficult - the Police were dominanted by this group of society in the recent past and is now going through a 'modernisation' phase where it needs more female/homosexual/ethnic minority groups in postions of leadership to address the improper balance.

If you were to join as a new recruit you would actually receive a degree in Policing - however this would be of very little use in any other walk of life. By the time most officers have 15-20 years in the Police they have become completely disillusioned with their role they would love to leave - they have, however families to support, are not skilled/trained in anything else and have invested a large amount of money into a pension that is only worthwhile if you complete 35yrs service.

If I had my time again would I join - probably not - I would have completed my degree in mechanical engineering or looking back  further become a Vet.

Have I enjoyed it? - yes, most of the time.

Would I encourage someone to join? - Most definately not!

P.S. Most Forces will have a 'freeze' on recruitment for the next 4 years.

[echoz]

Thanks for that fraser, very detailed insight very moving post, reminds me of Ian Rankin's books involving Inspector Rebus (brilliant series of books that depicts everything you just said)

May I ask the reasons you continue to stay in the force besides the one you already stated ie providing fpr your family?

[nikpro]

Thanks for that fraser, very detailed insight very moving post, reminds me of Ian Rankin's books involving Inspector Rebus (brilliant series of books that depicts everything you just said)

May I ask the reasons you continue to stay in the force besides the one you already stated ie providing fpr your family?

There is nothing else I am qualified to do and I still have a deep sense of justice instilled into me.