Police Officer Eligibility Criteria
Age
To apply for the role of police constable, you will need to be aged 17 years or over (will only be appointed at the age of 18).
Cautions and Convictions
You may still be eligible to join the police service if you have minor convictions/cautions, but there are certain offences and conditions that will make you ineligible.
You MUST declare all convictions for past offences, formal cautions (including as a juvenile) and any bind-over imposed by the courts. You should also include all traffic convictions.
Due to the nature of policing, it’s essential that we conduct rigorous vetting checks on successful applicants before they can join the program.
Citizenship/Residency
You must be a British Citizen, citizen from the European Economic Area (EEA), Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom.
You must have been continually resident in the UK for the three-year period immediately before an application is made.
This is to satisfy the requirement to vet all applicants in an equitable manner and the UK Police service does not currently have any means of facilitating vetting checks overseas, to the extent required of those who have been resident in the UK. Applicants who cannot be vetted, cannot be appointed.
All applicants will have their financial status checked. These checks are carried out because Police Constables have access to privileged information, which may make them vulnerable to corruption.
- Any applicants with outstanding County Court judgements, who have been registered bankrupt with outstanding debts, will be rejected.
- If you have discharged bankruptcy debts then you will need to provide a Certificate of Satisfaction with your application.
- Applicants who are the subject of a current Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) will not be considered.
Health
Applicants must be in good health mentally and physically to deal with the pressures and demands of the role. Successful applicants who receive a conditional offer of appointment will then be asked prior to appointment to fill in a medical questionnaire and undertake a medical examination which will also include an eyesight test and BMI check (Body Mass Index).
The current Home Office circular 59/2004 outlines this as between 18 and 32. Applicants who do not meet this standard may find their application delayed and / or will not be appointed.
Police Officer applicants with a BMI over 32 will not be considered fit unless their body fat percentage is less than 30% for men or 36% for women. If you have a disability, we will make adjustments where it is reasonable to do so.
Physical fitness
You must be physically fit in order to effectively complete the duties required of a Police Constable. All applicants must pass a basic fitness test before appointment. For the endurance test you will be asked to run back and forth a 15 metre track in time with a series of bleeps, in time the bleeps become increasingly faster. You must achieve level 5.4.
You will also be required to attend a pre-appointment fitness test approximately 6 weeks prior to the anticipated appointment date and you must pass this to progress your application.
Financial Status
All applicants will have their financial status checked. These checks are carried out because Police Constables have access to privileged information, which may make them vulnerable to corruption.
- Any applicants with outstanding County Court judgements, who have been registered bankrupt with outstanding debts, will be rejected.
- If you have discharged bankruptcy debts then you will need to provide a Certificate of Satisfaction with your application.
- Applicants who are the subject of a current Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) will not be considered.
Political Affiliation
South Wales Police has a policy of prohibiting any of our officers or staff from being members of the BNP, or a similar organisation whose aims, objectives or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote race equality. If you are, or have previously been a member of the BNP or a similar organisation, your application will be rejected.
Tattoos and Piercings
Candidates with visible tattoos and piercings may be eligible for appointment. Each case will be considered on its own merits, taking into account the number, nature, size, prominence, appearance and location of the tattoos.
Tattoos must not be offensive to colleagues or members of the public or undermine the dignity of your role within the Force. Tattoos on the neck, face or hands are still deemed to be unacceptable but consideration may be given in some circumstances considering the size, nature and prominence of the tattoo.
If candidates choose to have any additional tattoos and piercings during the recruitment process, after passing eligibility checks, the onus is on them to advise HR and provide appropriate photographs which will need to be checked.
Eligibility disclaimer
Honesty is always the best policy in all aspects of our recruitment process. It is essential that you declare all relevant information to us during both the application and vetting stages of the process. We will ask you questions but you should also tell us anything else that you think may impact on your suitability to do the role. You must also inform the recruitment team overseeing your role of any change in circumstance during your application process. Click here for their contact information.
It is important to know that many personal circumstances do not necessarily stop you from being eligible to join. However, if you don’t disclose relevant information, we have to consider this as a deliberate omission and attempt to hide that information from us.
Welsh Language requirements
As an organisation we actively encourage the use of Welsh internally, to increase opportunities to see, hear and use the language when conducting our business.
While you can apply to join the force with no Welsh ability, it is expected that all Police Officer recruits will achieve level 2 Welsh by the end of their probation. Support will be provided for applicants to achieve this once in post, but applicants are welcome to begin learning Welsh before applying.
Reasonable Adjustments and Accommodations
We are able to approve reasonable adjustments or accommodations at our assessment centres and interviews for candidates that can provide suitable evidence.
It is important that applicants consider if they would like to request arrangements that will assist them in completing elements of the recruitment process. This could be in relation to disability, neurodiversity, pregnancy, menopause, injury, religion or belief etc.
All adjustments/accommodations will be considered on an individual basis, based on your circumstances and the evidence that you provide. Adjustments/accommodations can be offered to support a range of individual circumstances.