Frequently Asked Question

A: You can be of any nationality to apply provided that you have permanent right to remain without restriction in the UK if you are from a non European Economic Area (EEA) country. (Current members of the EEA are Austria, Belgium, Cyprus, Czech Republic, Denmark, Estonia, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Hungary, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Latvia, Liechtenstein, Lithuania, Luxembourg, Malta, The Netherlands, Norway, Poland, Portugal, Slovakia, Slovenia, Spain, Sweden and United Kingdom)

For further information on Indefinite Leave to Remain in the UK please look at the home office website www.ind.homeoffice.gov.uk

Whilst the Home Office make no mention of a residency requirement it should be noted that ACPO have issued guidelines in respect of residency. The guidelines clearly state that for force vetting a candidate should have been resident in the United Kingdom for the 3 years prior to submitting an application.

If a candidate has not resided in the United Kingdom for the 3 years prior to submitting an application, the application cannot be accepted. 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 re-joiners criteria

Applicants must satisfy BOTH the nationality and residency criteria to be eligible for appointment (for all posts).

Should you satisfy both of the above criteria, please note limited and targeted advertising is in place for police officers. Police Officer application packs may only be obtained by attending specific recruitment events. In addition only application packs issued by the MPS will be considered. Details of future recruitment events / open days will be advertised in local press and / or www.metpolicecareers.co.uk

You may also wish to visit our website for other vacancies you may want to consider such as Special Constable (volunteer role), Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) or a member of Police Staff.

A: Limited and targeted advertising is in place for police officers. Police Officer application packs may only be obtained by attending specific recruitment events. In addition only application packs issued by the MPS will be considered. Details of future recruitment events / open days will be advertised in local press and / or http://www.met.police.uk/careers/events.html

You may also wish to visit our website for other vacancies you may want to consider such as Special Constable (volunteer role), Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), member of Police Staff etc

For further MPS recruitment enquiries, please visit www.metpolicecareers.co.uk or contact the call centre on 0845 727 2212 between 9am - 4pm, Monday - Friday.

The Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) is actively seeking to raise interest from black and minority ethnic communities/people and females who seek a career with the policing family.

For further details please contact the Met Careers Team on 020 7161 0706. For general careers advice on the MPS, please telephone the Met Careers Advice Team on 0207 161 0120 between 10am - 4pm Monday and Tuesday.

A: The Metropolitan Police Service has a limited appeals process for candidates who have been unsuccessful in their application for a post within the Metropolitan Police Service. Appeals will only be considered on the appeals proforma within 21 days following the notification of the rejection of an application, and where it appears that there may have been:

• • An abuse of process - defined as either an intentional act or failure to apply Service policy or the instructions published specifically for the purpose and/or
• • A perverse decision - defined as a decision, which has not been justified or indicates an error or inappropriate judgement/action by the personnel involved in the process.

Download the appeals form

For further MPS recruitment enquiries, please visit www.metpolicecareers.co.uk or contact the call centre on 0845 727 2212 between 9am - 4pm, Monday - Friday.

A: A conviction or caution does not necessary bar you from joining the MPS. A candidates age at the time of offence, the number of years that have elapsed (normally 5 years must have elapse for recordable offences) and the nature of the offence is taken into account before a decision is made.

For further information or to discuss your query, please telephone the Vetting Unit on 0207 230 6666 Monday to Friday 9am - 5pm.

A: As of 1 October 2006, the age criteria (at the time of application) is as follows:

Regular Police Officers, Transfers, Rejoiners and Special Constables : 18 - 57 years
Police (civilian) Staff : 16 - 63 years & 6 months, except where the role involves shift work where the minimum age will be 18 years.
Police Community Support Officers : 18 - 62 years & 6 months.

A: All police officers must complete their 2 year probation which predominantly involves work on the streets before they can apply for specialist roles (eg Mounted Branch, Dogs Section or CO19 Firearms Unit). There are no direct access routes into most specialist departments.

As vacancies arise (usually advertised internally with the necessary criteria for the role), an application may be completed and submitted for consideration for the specialist role / unit requested.

Competition for entry into these posts is fierce and the job requirements are stricter than entry to the police service. For example, more stringent eyesight and fitness standards may apply to officers applying to the firearms unit.

A: From the 1st December 2007 on joining the pay is £21,534 and on completion of initial training (end of 31 weeks) it rises to £24,039. For the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) London Weighting is £2,055 and London Allowances is £4,338. Therefore during training pay will be £27,927 and after £30,432.

A: Work placements / work experience are not co-ordinated centrally.
If you are requesting a placement at a police station or a specific department or building, may we suggest you contact the location of your choice directly with full details of your request.
Each station etc will have their own local policy for dealing with such requests. To find contact details for your local police borough visit: http://www.met.police.uk/local/

However, please note the current proposal is that for safety reasons individuals undertaking work experience at the MPS are NOT to shadow police officers on operational activities eg in a response vehicle; or who are in critical areas of responsibility eg Custody Suites.

Further information on the Metropolitan Police Service (MPS) can be found by visiting the following websites, www.met.police.uk and www.policecouldyou.co.uk

For further MPS recruitment enquiries, please visit www.metpolicecareers.co.uk or contact the call centre on 0845 727 2212 between 9am - 4pm, Monday - Friday.

A: The eyesight standards for new Police Officer recruits are:

• Unaided vision (without spectacles or lenses) - 6/36 or better in either eye is required. Binocular vision (vision with both eyes) worse than 6/6 requires correction.
• Aided vision (wearing lenses or spectacles) - 6/12 or better in either eye and 6/6 or better using both eyes (binocular vision) is required.
• Near vision - N6 at 40 cm with both eyes together (aided).

A: The Disability Discrimination Act now applies to police forces. All applicants are assessed on their individual circumstances. If you are successful at the assessment centre stage, you will be invited to attend a medical test.

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

A: The Met Careers Team - part of the Metropolitan Police Service - has teamed up with four London colleges and one college in Essex in provide an Access Course designed to assist potential applicants who are interested in becoming Police Officers or Police Community Support Officers.

Running over 12-16 weeks, the course consists of two (two and a half long) evening sessions a week and focuses on developing ICT knowledge, communication skills, numeracy and team work skills through role-playing activities. All students who successfully complete the course will gain a recognised qualification and are likely to receive an application form for the Met.

To secure a place, candidates will be tested on their maths and English at an assessment evening prior to starting the course.

To find out more about Access Courses in your area please use the following contacts:

College of North –West London - Willesden
Course Information Centre – Abdul Khares: 020 8208 5050
Email: CIC@cnwl.ac.uk

Morley College – Southwark
Course Information – Anne Dolan: 020 7450 1834

Tower Hamlets College – Tower Hamlets
Course Information – Shamsol Hoque: 020 7510 7646

West Thames College – Hounslow
Course Information – Steve Saunders: 020 8326 2218

Havering College – Romford
Course Information – Mandy White: 01708 462 801

Or contact the Met Careers Team on 020 7161 0725 or 020 7161 0706 for more information.

A: You can transfer your application to the MPS providing:

• • You have applied to Home Office constabulary or recognised police force using the National Recruiting Standards (NRS) process.
• • If you are MPS Police Staff (including PCSO) you must have completed 12 months service.
• • You have completed and passed the Competency Based Questionnaire (CBQ) in the last 12 months.

or

• • You have completed the NRS Assessment Centre in the last 12 months, and achieved an overall pass mark of 60% and 60% for Respect for Race and Diversity and Oral Communication and 44% for Written Communication.

If you have completed the CBQ stage only you will have to undertake an Assessment Centre and then progress to further stages of the recruitment process as below.

If you have completed your Assessment Centre you will be required to undertake a medical examination and the Job Related Fitness Test and appointment will be subject to meeting MPS eligibility criteria, security clearance and satisfactory references.

To progress this contact Roshni Mistry 0208 358 0386 or email hr.help@met.police.uk