Apply now to become a police officer

No. To be eligible to apply, you must be age 17 years at the point of application. You will not be able to be appointed until you have reached 18 years of age.

See information on the most common qualifications compare on the gov.uk website.

For intakes starting in September 2024, we will be offering the Police Constable Entry Programme route. As such, applicants do not need to have a degree to apply to join as a police officer.

If you are able to demonstrate sufficient competence in Eastern European languages, Arabic, Far Eastern Languages, BSL or Makaton, your application will be considered.

If you are competent in any other languages, please contact the PC Recruitment team to discuss further.

If you are currently serving as a PCSO, and have completed your PCSO Action Checklist, probationary period, and are up to date with all mandatory training, your application will be considered.

If you are currently serving as a Special Constable with independent patrol status, have consistently completing 16 hours per month, and are up to date with all mandatory training, your application will be considered.

Also we will consider your application if you are currently serving, or have previously served, with the Armed Forces. You will need to have served for a minimum of two years, and your service must have been within the last five years (i.e. after 2018). You will have an exemplary reference.

We will need to see evidence of your certificates for you to progress through the recruitment process. If you don’t have your certificates presently, we will need to see them at the interview stage at the latest. We recommend speaking to your school, college or exam board to obtain the certificates.

You must have a full manual driving licence.

You must not have 9 or more endorsable points on your licence at the point of applying or at any point throughout the recruitment process.

It will depend upon the nature of the medical condition. We require all our new officers to undergo a medical assessment with our Occupational Health Team. You will need to pass the medical assessment to be eligible to join.

See further information on the medical standards on the gov.uk website. 

Please note that this should only be used as a guide.

You can still apply to become a police officer.

We look at each case on its merits and take guidance from our Occupational Health Unit.

You can still apply to become a police officer.

We look at each case on its merits and take guidance from our Occupational Health Unit.

The College of Policing guidelines suggest that a reading between 18 and 30 is the ideal, however BMI is only one element of our health and fitness requirements.

This may not prevent you from progressing in the process if you are otherwise fit and healthy and able to complete our fitness test.

You are eligible to become a police officer if you are colour blind, but would be restricted from fulfilling certain posts, such as Traffic Officer or Firearms Officer. If your colour blindness is monochrome, you would be unable to apply.

As part of the medical assessment, you will need to undergo an eye test.

See further information relating to eyesight standards on the gov.uk website.

No. There is no minimum or maximum height restriction.

We welcome applications from people with disabilities as defined by the Equality Act 2010. For example, a person is disabled under this Act if they have a physical or mental impairment which has a substantial and long-term (over 12 months) adverse effect on their ability to carry out normal day to day tasks.

If you consider yourself to have a disability, please inform us of the type of reasonable adjustments you might need to assist you in participating in the recruitment and selection process. We will try to make reasonable adjustments required where practicable. If you require reasonable adjustments or disclose that you have a disability, it will be shared with the force's training team to assist you during your probationary period.

Please contact the PC Recruitment team to advise what adjustments you require.

Yes. You can apply if you are a UK, EU citizen with EU settled status, a commonwealth citizen or a foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the UK.

No. You must have lived in the UK for the past three years at the point of submitting your application. The only exception is British Military personnel who have served abroad.

The UK police service does not currently have any means of facilitating vetting enquiries overseas to the extent required for those who are resident in the UK. For this reason, three years residency is required.

You are considered to be on an extended holiday if you have spent a significant period of time overseas (normally up to one year) without returning to the UK, but intend to return in the future.

For example, if you have:

• taken a gap year or similar before or following university
• travelled for a year
• spent time overseas visiting family

Eligibility will depend on the nature and circumstances of the offence.

It is not possible to set out a full list of convictions that will preclude you from becoming a police officer. Each case is considered on its own merits, and if the offence is deemed sufficiently serious you will be rejected irrespective of age at time of offending.

There may be circumstances where you do not fall within the criteria, but whose suspected involvement in crime, or criminal associations make an offer of employment inappropriate.

We will need to assess the motoring offences. However, if you have nine or more penalty points on your driving licence, you will not be eligible to apply.

Not necessarily. Our officers are representative of the communities that we serve, and a lot of people have tattoos.

If you have tattoos, we will review these, taking into consideration the nature of them, the significance, the location and how visible it is.

If you have tattoos you will need to make a declaration at the time of application, and we may ask for photos of them depending on their location. (one distance photograph clearly showing where on your body the tattoo is and a second close-up photograph).

Unless the chief officer decides otherwise, you will not normally be eligible for appointment as a police officer if you have any of the following business interests:

• You hold any office or employment for hire or gain (other than as a police officer) or you carry on any business.
• Your spouse or partner or any other relative living with you keeps a shop or similar in the area of the police force in question.
• You, your spouse or partner or any relative living with you holds or has a financial interest in any licence or permit relating to liquor licensing, refreshment houses or betting and gaming or the regulation of places of entertainment in the area of the police force in question.

However, the chief officer may decide to allow the business interest, if he/she thinks it is compatible with being a member of the force.

Unfortunately not. You will need to submit a new application for the position of Police Officer and go through the necessary recruitment stages.

You cannot transfer into this position from a staff or volunteer role. 

Unfortunately not. You will need to submit a new application for the position of Police Officer and go through the necessary recruitment stages.

We are not currently accepting applications for direct entry routes for detective roles.