MegaSack DRAW - This year's winner is user - rgwb
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My son has recently applied to become a Police Officer. The initial application has a series of questions CBQ's which are basically describe a situation where you have ... what action did you take and what was the impact.
He got an e-mail back this morning saying that his responses had been assessed and he had scored 7.0 against a pass mark of 9.0. The e-mail went on to explain that he couldn't get any detailed feedback and the responses could not be remarked unless there were exceptional reasons.
Now I know I am biased, but when I read through his responses before he submitted them I thought they were excellent. On topic and demonstrating the outcomes that I would have thought a police force recruiter was looking for.
All is not lost because he can apply again in six months, but I know he is going to be devastated (he is 19 and this is the first serious career type application that he has made).
Does anyone have experience of the police recruitment process, so I can offer the boy some encouragement.
Thanks
Nick (concerned dad).
Try and speak with existing PO or one who's recently gone through the process, find out where the hoops to be jumped through are and how to jump through them. Which your doing by asking on here.
Maybe look at being a PCSO (assuming entry qualifications differ from main PO application)? Would give experience plus also an insight into expected responses?
Can't help sorry but my mate has just finished his initial training - they turned him down the first time as he hadn't mentioned that he went to the police station with his brother when his brother got started on.. and even thought he hadn't been arrested they said he withheld this information from the interview process so he had to reapply again a year later.
He waited and reapplied and now he's in!
He was a bit gutted too and it seems a bit too much of a strict system to me.. imo they are exceptionally lucky to have someone with his skill set on the force.
I'm not sure how personal those stories are that you send in but if they aren't too much and you have a copy I could forward it to my mate and see if he had time to give any advice?
Email in profile
My experience of the process is over 15 years out of date, but I'll send you an email later and if you want to send me the questions and answers, and the criteria they set, then I can have a look and I can see if I can get someone with more knowledge of recruitment to have a look. (From your profile it appears we are at opposite ends of the country so I don't see any issue.)
To be honest, the police recruitment process throws up some strange decisions. I've known some very good people not get through, and conversely, they let in some idiots.
My Wife was turned down at least 2 applications based on her answers to those questions I think.
The 'problem' she had was that the specific scenario's they wanted examples of, she had very little exposure to having grown up in a rural, mainly white area of the country.
She ended up getting in as a 'special' which she did for around 2 years before applying & getting in through the normal route.
It'll be a kick in the teeth for your lad no doubt, but don't let it put him off if it's something he really wants to do.
It might be worth him looking into becoming a Special. My Wife loved it & gained valuable experience, so when she actually became a 'proper' Police officer she felt like she was already doing the job to a large degree.
They are recruiting for specials in our area at the moment. So I will get him to look at that.
Thanks for the offers of help so far I will get a copy of his answers to those who have offered.
Nick.
he is 19 and this is the first serious career type application that he has made).
This might be the problem. The competencies need not just to be evidenced but evidenced to a high standard. There is still a lot of competition. It can be very hard to show that you have the relevant experience without have some work history. Examples based around what you did at school are rarely enough. Does he have any volunteering experience?
I do quite a bit of interviewing for specials so I have a pretty good understanding of what is required. I'm happy to have a look at his application if you want to email it to me.
As a currently-serving officer my gut reaction is to say he's dodged a bullet. They've raised the bar to entry in a bid to 'professionalise' the service (2 A levels, and you effectively pay for your training with the policing degree route), simultaneously lowered the starting salary, are civilianising many roles that he might be interested in in the future (I'm a detective, we will be a dying breed) and trying to do more with less. There is a steady flow of experienced well trained officers (10yrs+ service, detectives and other specialisms...) leaving the force.
But as that won't be what he wants to hear I'd say go the specials route to gain experience. Whilst as a PCSO he will be getting paid (and pretty well given the requirements of the role) to gain experience, they have few powers and are used for the most mundane tasks (usually to free up officers) and that experience will be limited. It's the difference between just standing next to scene watch tape for 8 hours, or being the one arresting the actual offender. Whenever I had specials work alongside my response shift they were valued and I crewed them with full time officers, on one memorable morning a brand new special ended up fighting with and arresting a rape suspect at the scene of the crime. We ended up having to seize his (the Special's) trousers due to the potential for acquired forensic evidence.
Nick - YHM.
A mate of mine wanted to join up years ago, his dad was fairly senior in the WM police and advised him to join the specials as a route in.
He was working in call centre's for money at the time and working as a special evenings and weekends.