General Policing Discussions

In under 13 months I will become 18, however I will still be in full time education (sixth form). I’ve been interested in joining the police service for as long as I can possibly remember. I work at McDonald’s (yeah I know) and will likely continue to do so until I’m 18. Further to this I regularly attend the gym. I have participated in acpolice ride along and had station tours, which should help to support my application by a degree. Realistically what do up think my chances are of being accepted as a special either by BTP or my local force while I am in sixth form? Of course I would contribute weekends and look to give up my job at that time to gain police experi…

So, after the tragic events of this weekend, one of my colleagues asked me if I thought that routine arming of officers (even just sidearms) was on the way? Any thoughts? In a somewhat-related topic, but one that has been covered extensively elsewhere; one Special who was training us this weekend commented that he didn't think that Specials being issued Taser was too far away (his reasoning, the pain stops instantly, unlike PAVA, and it's non(/less)-injurious than a baton).

Hi - first post! I'm looking for some background about moving into detective work. Some context: I'm in the process of applying to join my local force as a student officer. I've been in a middle-management desk job for the past three years and I can feel my mind going numb so it's time to look into a different career! One thing I am particularly interesting in is investigative work (aware this may well change once I get some practical policing experience), so I'm trying to dig up some info about the route from PC to DC. Of course a cursory Google primarily points to that direct-entry thing for the Met, which isn't very helpful as it's not a traditional …

I've been reading through my contract, and it states that business interests must be declared, of course this makes sense. The thing that doesn't make much sense to me, is from my understanding it seems police officers are not allowed to gamble (i.e play the lottery, place the odd bet etc), as this would come under "having a business interest" which is defined as "for financial gain". Would this be correct? In the information i've been given it also states that disqualification of appointment may be applicable for those who have an interest in obtaining or currently have a Gambling licence, therefore the two are stating different things. It would seem…

Hi All, I'm new to this forum so apologies in advance if I've posted this to the wrong area or if the question has been posed before. I've been an Acting DI in the Metropolitan Police (MPS) for circa 2.5 years now and I am Ospre Part 1 qualified. I receive Temporary Salary for the days I work which is pensionable. As I am in my last 3 years of service this clearly counts towards my final pension calculation (i.e. best year of the last 3 years). Apparently though the MPS will NOT temporary promote me because I am not part 2 qualified and I have not passed a promotion process. All this means that the organisation is content for me to carry out an Inspector's role,…

Hi, Does anyone know if it's possible to pass vetting with 3 points on your licence? Its so annoying because I got caught when driving through roadworks which weren't even there at the time and the speed limit had been changed. I saw the speed camera as well and didn't even think I was speeding. This was about 3 months ago. Other than that my record is completely clean, I have a good credit score and my family have no past convictions either. Will I definitely fail vetting as i'm convinced I will? thanks,

Hi all, first post. I am a University student in Manchester and want to become a Special Constable for the duration of my study, and a regular after graduation. A school friend of mine died as a result of drugs, and I have been threatened in Manchester for refusing to buy drugs (all passed onto the Authorities) so I have quite a motivation to join the police force. However, I cannot help but hear horror stories of being a Special in its all terrible duty and being talked down to by regulars, is there any validity in this? Thanks in advance!

I proofread many crime books and try to make sure the authors get ranks right. However, I have one persistent offender who I believe is getting it wrong. So, could someone tell me, please: what is the correct abbreviation/initialism for Detective Superintendent in the Manchester Police? And how would you say it in speech? My contact in Kent Police say they use D.Supt but other places may use Det. Supt. I particularly want to know about Manchester and of course, on their website, I can't find any abbreviations! Thanks very much for any help.

As per title, do forces often place officers at stations that cover the area that they live? If so, what are officers experiences with this setup? Thanks in advance!

I've just been reading about the Sheehy report and it's recommendations to abolish Chief Superintendents. It reminds me of the Chief Inspector thing at the minute. Do you think the Borough based policing model, divisions inline with local authorities etc., has delivered better policing to residents? I believe the dormer was an area policing model, was that better? Out of interest, does anyone know how many 'area' divisions they were in the Met? Assume is must have been loads? Cheers,

Hi - can anyone tell me to what level of first aid are we as SC's are trained to and assuming it is the same as our regular colleagues? Is it standard across the nation or varied from force to force. I know I had to attend 2 day first aid course which is then refreshed annually - if we miss the refresh course we have to redo the 2 day one again... Im just not certain as to what LEVEL of training this is considered equal to? Cheers

Hi, Just wondering if every force uses the same response model? In Greater Manchester they seem to use vans and small hatchbacks for emergency calls. In London they use small vehicles but also have 'Area Cars' to support them. I've seen Birmingham police with saloons too. Other than Traffic, I don't think GMP use Saloons at all for response. Does anyone know why they don't have 'Area Cars'? Also, what are the response vehicles like in your force? Do you have powerful Saloon/Estates?