Eligibility Requirements

Nationality & residency criteria

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be British to join the Met. In fact you can be of any nationality to apply, as long as you have the legal right to remain indefinitely and without restriction in the UK.

You must have been resident in the UK for at least the three years immediately prior to applying.

If a candidate has not resided in the United Kingdom for the 3 years prior to submitting an application, the application cannot be accepted. The only exceptions are for British Military Personnel serving abroad, ie
Army, Navy and Royal Air Force, Foreign & Commonwealth office and police officer transfers providing they meet the rejoiners criteria.

Applicants must satisfy BOTH the nationality and residency criteria to be eligible for appointment.

Age criteria

In keeping with the Employment Equality (Age) Regulations 2006, we encourage applications from
people between the following ages:

Police Community Support Officers

18–62½ years old

Special Constables

18–57 years old

New Constables and Experienced Officers

18–57 years old

Police Staff

16–63½ years old (18–63½ for roles involving shift work)

Volunteers

18+

Your Character

All employees of the Met, whether they wear a uniform or not, are in a position of responsibility and trust. As such they should be law-abiding citizens with proven integrity. If you have previously been convicted of a criminal offence or had involvement with the police your suitability will be subject to careful consideration.

We also have a policy of prohibiting any of our officers, staff and volunteers from becoming members of the BNP or similar organisations whose aims or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote race equality.

Tattoos

You need to be aware of how your appearance makes an instant impression on people. As a member of the Metropolitan Police Service your appearance must avoid offence at all times. Whilst we judge each case on its own merits, and consider the context in which the tattoo is displayed, some tattoos (whether visible or not) might be in breach of this requirement.

If you have any tattoos we need to make sure that they are not:

• Rude
• Lewd
• Crude
• Racist
• Sexist
• Sectarian
• Homophobic
• Violent
• Intimidating

The nature, location, prominence and appearance of tattoos will need to be considered against the overall requirements. For example, tattoos on the lower arm, hand and face are more prominent. The quantity and size of any tattoos should also be taken into consideration – several tattoos or large or garish ones should continue to be considered with regard to the impression that they may give to members of the public or colleagues even if they do not fall into the above categories.

If any candidate has a tattoo that falls into any of the above categories, wherever it appears on the body, their application is unlikely to be acceptable.

The following are examples of the types of tattoos that are likely to be deemed acceptable and unacceptable, but this list is not exhaustive.

Acceptable

British/national flags, Bull dogs with union flags, Birds, Flowers, Scrolls with or without names, Regimental badges or crests, Football club badges, Dragons, Snakes, Peoples’ names and Cartoon characters providing they do not depict blood or violence.

Unacceptable

Guns, Daggers either covered in blood or dripping blood, Naked women/men, any tattoo that may have an association with paramilitary/violent organisations, any tattoo which depicts violence of any kind.

The Disability Discrimination Act applies to all appointments in the Metropolitan Police Service and we welcome applications from individuals with disabilities. Adjustments will be made to selection processes and / or the working environment provided it is reasonable in all circumstances to do so.

For more specific medical information / conditions please speak directly to the Recruitment Medical Centre on 020 8358 0406.