@ RTC Aldershot - Potential police officers course

Potential police officers course

A Career Transition Partnership training consultant explains …

Being a police officer is a challenging and demanding job – but it also offers a highly rewarding and challenging career. There are hundreds of different jobs you could be doing anywhere in England and Wales – from London to rural Yorkshire; from patrolling the streets to investigating high-tech crime; from working with communities, schools and young people, to working with the courts, government departments and even with foreign countries.

Yours will be a central role in the fight against crime, disorder and anti-social behaviour. You will daily confront and tackle those who break our laws and who threaten our safety, working with victims of crime and witnesses to catch and prosecute criminals. Policing is intelligence-led and increasingly high-tech these days, but it is also about building a relationship of trust and reassurance with members of the community.

The police service in this country is one of the best trained and best equipped in the world. As well as the extensive training you will receive as a probationer, there will be opportunities to train on the job and to advance your career up through the ranks. The high potential development scheme is designed to identify and develop tomorrow’s chief constables and commissioners. In addition, there are now opportunities to advance within ranks and specialisms so that you are rewarded for a career as a specialist investigator or as a community beat officer, for example, even if you don’t want to go up through the ranks.

Becoming a police officer is a great deal harder and more challenging than most people imagine. It is tougher on your body, more taxing on your brain, more draining on your emotions and more demanding on your whole life. Do you think you could do it?

It is easy to see why the police service is such a popular career. No two days are the same. You develop a strong bond with your colleagues. You feel you are doing a job that is really worthwhile. However, only a few people are really suited to become police officers. Out of around 35,000 people in England and Wales who apply to become police officers every year, only about 5000 are successful.

So it is obvious that any help towards being selected as an officer is not only advantageous but a must! This is where the resettlement courses at Aldershot and Catterick are so beneficial, because we are at the forefront of knowledge about the new selection system.

The police selection and recruitment system is currently in the process of changing from the Police Initial Recruitment Test (PIRT) and interview to a job simulation assessment. It should be stressed, however, that this forms only part of the process. Literacy, numeracy and verbal reasoning tests are also included as, in some cases, are tests of observation.

The course tutor will cover both the PIRT and job simulation assessment, and mock tests for both situations will prepare you for all eventualities. Advice and guidance will also be provided about the completion of the new national application form, including the all-important section on competency experience.

The whole of the UK’s police service is expected to switch over to the new system during 2004, so the course covers the skills and abilities a potential police officer should display.

You should first check out and answer the criteria listed on the website at www.policecouldyou.co.uk. This self-assessment must be honestly and positively answered before any force will send out an application form. It also lets you know if becoming a police officer will be a possibility for you. If you pass this first hurdle, you should bring the new application form to the course, where its completion will be covered in great detail.

The new selection system involves exercises at an assessment centre from which a number of stations are visited, each containing an assessed activity. Two key parts of the assessment are maths and verbal logical reasoning from the old PIRT, followed by a writing exercise. This will be covered on the course, and mock tests will be undertaken.

The role-play element consists of a number of exercises covering a number of situations, from being shouted at to dealing compassionately with an incident. How you should react and deal with the different stages are all explained, highlighting the seven core competencies, which are assessed and graded.

All in all, the course covers the vital knowledge and advice that you need to proceed with your application to become a successful police officer. You should be aware that it can still take up to 18 months from application to the first day that you wear your new uniform.

It is a good time to join the police but it must be done correctly – we know how to do it.