Eligibility criteria

During the eligibility and marking stage we will check that you meet certain criteria before continuing with your application; these will include:

• Age
• Residency
• Nationality
• Criminal Convictions.

If you do not meet the eligibility criteria your application will not be progressed with and you will be withdrawn from the recruitment process. Further eligibility criteria are also considered at a later stage. Further information about eligibility criteria can be found on the College of Policing website.

Age

You must be 18 or over when you apply to be a new Police Constable.

Residency

We do not have specific London Residency criteria and would welcome all eligible candidates across UK.  You must however have resided in the United Kingdom for a minimum of three years prior to applying.

Nationality

If you're from outside the EEA, it is essential that you have leave to remain in the UK for an indefinite period. If you are from within the EEA and not a British national you will still require proof for an indefinite leave to remain in the UK.

Candidates who are eligible will be invited to the City of London Police for a suitability interview. If successful, the following pre-employment checks will be required: Vetting, Medical assessment including eyesight standards, Fitness test, DNA, Fingerprints and Substance Misuse Testing.

Health, fitness and eyesight

Applicants must be in good health, of sound constitution and able both physically and mentally to perform the duties of a police officer once appointed. Successful applicants who receive a conditional offer of employment or who are placed in a pool of successful candidates to whom we intend to make a conditional offer when a position arises 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.

Failure to meet the medical and eyesight standards will mean you cannot be appointed.

You will also be required to pass a physical fitness test. Details of the test can be found on the College of Policing website.  

For information about the medical and eyesight standards, the fitness test and fitness training, click here. 

For information about eyesight requirements, click here.

Tattoos

Tattoos are not a bar to appointment. However, some tattoos could potentially offend members of the public, colleagues, or could bring discredit to the police service. It depends on their size, nature and location, and sometimes on the extent.

Members of the public are largely accepting of police officers and staff with visible tattoos. Visible tattoos are unacceptable if they could reasonably be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive and/or indicate attitudes or views inconsistent with the College of Policing’s Code. 

Criminal position

Ideally, you should not have a criminal record. If you have a conviction as an adult or juvenile it is unlikely that you will be suitable, but some minor offences and cautions may not exclude you.

Financial position

Police officers are in a privileged position with regards to access to information and could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption. Applicants to the police service should not therefore be under pressure from undischarged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly.

Police Regulations also state that a member of a police force shall not willfully refuse or neglect to discharge any lawful debt. Your application will therefore be checked to determine and verify your financial position.

Most applicants have debts, such as mortgages, undischarged student or other loans, and credit/store card debts. Debts which are within your means and are manageable are not a bar to appointment.

You will need to be able to demonstrate professionalism, ability to work effectively with others, good decision making and excellent service delivery.

You'll also need to have the following attributes:

• Impartiality
• Integrity
• Transparency and
• A commitment to Public Service.

Suitability criteria

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship Programme (PCDA)

To be considered for entry to the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship, applicants must in addition to the eligibility criteria above, must hold a Level 2 GCSE/functional skills in English (Minimum Grade C and above) or education equivalent to Level 2 at point of application. Applicants must have a Level 2  GCSE in Maths  (Grade C and above). If you do not currently hold a Level 2 in Maths, we will support you to achieve this alongside the first two years of training with us.

In addition, you must have achieved a minimum of two A Levels Grade A*- C or equivalent Level 3 qualification that is a minimum of 32 UCAS points (you can check how many points your qualification is worth on the UCAS tariff calculator).

Applicants with one A Level or equivalent Level 3 qualification or those without  any Level 3 qualifications can be considered if they are:

• Serving, or previously served as a substantive Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) or Special Constable with any force and have independent patrol status (IPS).  Previous service is a minimum of 18 months service and left no longer than 18 months ago.
• Previously served in the military, armed forces or similar law enforcement agency, have successfully completed the minimum term of service and have an exemplary reference (previous service in military or armed forces is a minimum of two years within the last five years).
• They have previous work experience that can demonstrate transferable skills relevant to the role of a Police Constable.
• Gained a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing previously.

Upon successfully completing all elements of the PCDA, including operational and academic assessments, you'll be awarded a BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Policing Practice and will become a fully qualified substantive Police Officer.

Please be aware that once your application has been submitted you will not be permitted to switch between the PCDA and DHEP entry routes, so you should carefully consider which route is right for you.

2. Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP)

To be considered for entry to the DHEP, applicants must in addition to the eligibility criteria above also have successfully completed, and be able to provide evidence that they have a UK undergraduate honours degree (360 credits) in any subject. Applicants with non – UK degrees can be considered if their degree is recognised as equivalent by UK National Recognition Information Centre but will need to provide evidence of an acceptable English language qualification if their degree was not taught and assessed in English.

Certificates for all qualifications will be required at the point of application.

Upon successfully completing all elements of the DHEP, including operational and academic assessments, you'll be awarded a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing and will become a fully qualified substantive Police Officer.

All tuition fees for both programmes will be paid for by the City of London Police.