Become a police officer. Join our force.

Transcription

1 Become a police officer Join our force

2 Are you up to the challenge? If you want a job that s incredibly rewarding and exciting then becoming a police officer may be the future career you re looking for. As a police officer you will reduce crime and make a real difference to the communities of Avon and Somerset, helping people feel safe and be safe. Every day will be different and you ll provide support and reassurance to people who have been a victim of crime. Many will look to you for guidance and protection and you will need to tailor your approach to address particular needs and fears. 3

3 What we look for We want people who will provide an outstanding service to our communities; somebody with integrity and the values to hold a position of trust and responsibility. You need to care about making a difference, enjoy helping people, and want to actively engage in partnership with others, understanding their needs, whatever their background or situation. We want someone who is both professional and friendly who can build relationships with their colleagues and their communities. You need to be enthusiastic, reliable, self-disciplined, flexible and confident enough to take control of situations. We want people who take pride in their work and who will be proud to say they are a police officer. What we offer We offer a unique, stimulating and rewarding career with an opportunity to make a real difference to your community. For many of our officers, that s enough. But we also offer: Starting salary of 19,000 22,000 (depending on skills and experience) Annual leave of 22 paid annual holiday days, plus public holidays, which increases to 30 days depending on length of service. A final salary pension Training and development opportunities throughout your career Support and advice through our Occupational Health Unit and a range of staff associations Lifestyle benefits, including sports and social facilities and activities, cycle to work scheme, childcare vouchers. 4

4 PC Maz Collacott-Nuur It sounds clichéd and a bit cheesy but I really joined the police to help people. I m a people person and I never really wanted to sit in an office so this was the natural choice for me. I have two young daughters and I would strongly recommend the police service to them. Working here gives you such a huge range of different opportunities. You meet so many people from different walks of life and learn something new every day. 5

5 Stage 1 Online assessment The first stage of the process is an online assessment tool which is made up of the following: Registration Initial registration of your details, including driving licence (if applicable) and National Insurance number. Realistic Job Preview Questionnaire The purpose of this questionnaire is to help you understand more about the role and whether it s right for you. The questionnaire will focus on some of the demands that would be placed on you if you were to become a police officer. There is no pass/fail for this, but at the end of the questionnaire the system will give you an overall rating of your suitability for the role based on your responses so you can make a decision if you would like to progress. Eligibility Screen This section checks your eligibility in line with the national recruitment standards and will advise you immediately at the end of the questionnaire if you meet the required criteria. Should you be referred as a result of any of your answers, a member of our recruitment team will be in contact to let you know the outcome. Situational Judgement Test If you pass the Behaviour Styles Questionnaire, you will be invited to complete the final stage of the online process - a situational judgement test. This describes a number of scenarios and potential actions per scenario. You will be asked to identify which actions will result in a very effective or counterproductive outcome. You will be provided with a feedback report and if you are successful you will be asked to complete an application form. Stage 2 Application Form Our application form asks for the usual information you might expect such as personal details and education and employment history details. We also want you to complete some competency based questions so we can start to assess your suitability for the role. For example, we ll ask you to give us details of when you ve provided a great service or you ve taken personal responsibility for making something happen. Behaviour Styles Questionnaire This questionnaire invites you to review a number of statements and indicate which statements you completely agree with or completely disagree with on a sliding scale. You will be provided with feedback once this has been completed and advised of the result. If you re successful we ll invite you to an assessment centre. 6

6 Stage 3 Stage 4 The Assessment Centre The assessment centre consists of: A 20 minute competency-based interview Two written exercises Four role play exercises Numerical reasoning questionnaire and a verbal logical reasoning test. These exercises will test your ability to think on your feet, make quick decisions based on sound judgement and also measure your basic maths and literacy levels. This will take half a day to complete and you ll receive your results two to three weeks later. Second interview After you pass the assessment centre we ll invite you for an interview out on one of our districts. At this stage we want to know more about you what motivates you, what life skills or experience you ll bring to the role and whether you can relate to people from all walks of life and different backgrounds. The kinds of things we ll ask you about might include: Community focus Achievement focus Integrity Personal standards Leadership Some of our questions may be scenario-based we ll ask you to tell us what you have done or what you would do in certain situations so we can see how you might respond as a police officer. If you re successful, we ll invite you for a second interview. 7

7 Stage 5 Pre-employment checks The role of a police officer is demanding. During this assessment we ll be checking to make sure you re medically and physically fit to do the job. Medical risk assessment What we ll check: blood pressure urine test This will ensure you re fit to take the physical tests. Physical assessment We test two areas: endurance and dynamic strength. Endurance is tested through a fitness shuttle run often known as the Bleep Test. A good indicator of the fitness level needed for this test is to be able to run at a good pace for around four minutes over a distance of about 700m. The Dynamic Strength test involves performing five seated chest pushes and five seated back pulls on a machine called a Dyno. If you can do five full body press ups, i.e. lifting your own body weight, then you re in good shape for this test. If you pass the next stage is your medical assessment which will be carried out by the Force Occupational Health Nurses. Medical What we ll check: BMI Eye sight Colour vision Lung function Hearing We may ask you to have a further medical carried out at our Occupational Health Unit. You will also be asked to complete a Confidential Medical History questionnaire and bring it with you to the assessment. Please bear in mind at some point during the recruitment process we will carry out a drugs test. Once you have been cleared medically and physically then we will progress your application to the next stage. 8

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9 Stage 5 contd. Vetting checks We carry out security checks on you and your: spouse/partner paternal father step father/mother s partner paternal mother stepmother/father s partner brothers/sisters (full, half and step) children/children of your partner (only those over 10 years old) any other adult living at your address. Sergeant Shaun Finn It s a bit of a cliché, but I joined the police because I wanted to make a difference. I wanted to actually be in a position where I was physically able to do something about burglars, thieves and anti-social behaviour. You must declare any convictions or cautions on your application form and security questionnaire. If you do have any to declare, it will not necessarily preclude your application, we ll need to take the nature and the circumstances into account. 10

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12 Stage 5 contd. Stage 6 Biometric vetting Once you have received your provisional offer for the post of student officer we ll need to take your fingerprints and DNA samples to carry out some final vetting checks against our databases. References We send references to all of your previous employers in the last three years. If you haven t been employed for three years, we ll ask for a character reference or an educational reference instead. We ll send the reference requests out around five to eight weeks before your start date. Once all the vetting checks and references have been carried out and we ve received clearance we will write to you to congratulate you on your successful application and inform you of a start date. Starting your training All new student officers will take part in a two-year training programme. This programme is structured around three distinct phases, designed to give new officers the best possible start to their careers. Phase 1: Initial training is based at Police HQ based in Portishead. Taking 20 weeks to complete, the training covers basic policing, law and skills practice. During this phase, student officers may only take annual leave at set times. Phase 2: During this phase student officers will be posted to their home district and will work closely with a tutor constable, completing a range of operational tasks. They will be guided and supported to help them reach the required standard for independent patrol. This phase can last up to 15 weeks. Phase 3: For the remainder of their training student officers will work independently as part of a shift or team of more experienced police officers. They will complete additional protected learning and will be assessed against national standards. If successful, student officers will be awarded a Diploma in Policing and will be confirmed as constables. 13

13 Free page Chief Inspector Norman Pascal Working as a police officer has given me an education and a good standard of living. I ve been an officer for over twenty years now and I would definitely recommend it as a career. There are lots of different career opportunities available in the police. I ve worked all over the service, from the Communications department which deals with the emergency calls, to CID to being a frontline officer. 14

14 Avon and Somerset Constabulary Working together to make the communities of Avon and Somerset feel safe and be safe