Whether you want to be on the frontline or using your analytical brain as a detective, policing has many career opportunities. It can be demanding – with unsociable hours and plenty of paperwork – but equally rewarding too.
You’ll usually start as a police constable and work for a probationary period, before choosing if you want to specialise in areas like the fraud squad, firearms unit, child protection, or as a dog handler, among many others.
You can work your way up to sergeant then inspector, all the way up to chief constable one day. Starting salaries are above average at over £29,000, and experienced senior police officers can earn over £100k.
- Be part of an emergency response team – responding to 999 calls, preventing crime or being first on the scene for victims.
- Work with your local community to resolve tensions over an issue like crime or antisocial behaviour.
- Join the mounted police unit and work on your horse at public events like football matches, demonstrations, and public celebrations.
- Understanding policing practice
- Crime investigations
- The criminal justice system
- Police problem-solving
- Criminology and crime prevention
- Evidence-based policing
- Police powers, accountability, and code of ethics
- Vulnerability, risk, and public protection
- Community policing priorities
- Digital policing and counter terrorism
- Applied investigation and interviewing skills
- Frontline policing
- Crime scene management
- Forensic awareness
- Crime investigation techniques
- Police intelligence and community policing
- Communication
- Teamwork
- Listening skills
- Attention to detail
- Problem-solving
What is a… police dive contractor?
Getting in: Entry requirements
Find out more about what you'll need to study policing at university or as an apprenticeship.
Average requirements for undergraduate degrees
Entry requirements differ between university and course, but this should give you a guide to what is usually expected from policing applicants.
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Joining the Police
This website has role spotlights so you can research jobs you might want to end up doing, like becoming a dog handler, intelligence officer, domestic abuse investigator, dedicated football officer, and more. -
Life as a PC
Read these interviews with staff at the Met Police for insight into what life is like as a police constable, inspector, and other roles. -
North Yorkshire police on YouTube
Follow a police force you’re interested in to better understand how they operate. This site features CCTV footage and videos from real-life cases, behind-the-scenes footage, interviews with victims, and discussions on how services can be improved.
- Start off by showing you understand the sector you’re heading into. Policing isn’t for the faint-hearted, so mention content you've seen that's helped you understand the demands of the job. You could also talk about the role you want to end up doing, if you know already.
- Policing involves a lot of ‘soft skills’ like empathy, good listening, and the ability to diffuse an argument. Can you give examples of when you’ve demonstrated these skills, maybe through interactions with younger siblings, through teaching or childminding experience, volunteering, or helping elderly neighbours?
- You also need to be fit and resilient. What hobbies do you have that improve your fitness? Maybe you like the gym, football, or HIIT exercises. Maybe you’ve also had a life experience that built up your resilience.
- As a police constable you’ll need to do a lot of writing and presentations. Think about what you’ve done in school or college that you can talk about in your personal statement. Some A levels subjects lend themselves to clear or persuasive writing, so don’t forget to mention those too.
- Have you got, or could you apply for, any relevant work experience? You can apply for the volunteer police cadets through your local police force. If not, what part-time jobs or work in the community have you done that demonstrate the other skills needed like teamwork, independent work, patience, and honesty? Working in a restaurant, for example, covers a lot of these attributes.