Category: Police Recruitment

Our CVF Christmas Gift to You!

50% discount on all e-learning courses – December 2018 Only!

“Your online courses have been invaluable. I used the structure for my briefing exercise & scored top marks!”

Leadership Gap Assessment

Interview Prep

Presentation & Scenarios

All of the above e-learning courses are now available at 50% discount for December ONLY!

Thinking about police promotion in 2018?
Only familiar with the NPPF assessment criteria?
Force has changed to the CVF criteria?

BUY NOW …

Why is policing such a great career?

Check out http://www.policerecruitmentprep.co.uk if you’re considering a career in the police(part of the promotionprep.co.uk service)

Despite current challenges in policing it still remains a fantastic career. Some of the reasons why are as follows;

A great team spirit. There is still fantastic humour and banter amongst colleagues who remain close friends for life.
The variety of roles is like no other career. For example during my career I was a Response Officer, a tutor Constable, a Beat Officer, a Detective Sergeant, Detective Inspector overseeing complex crime and covert tactics. I progressed to Chief Inspector, Superintendent, Chief Superintendent before becoming assistant Chief Constable and retiring as a Deputy Chief Constable. There are so many other roles such as traffic officer, police dog handler, special branch, surveillance officer, working in child protection or investigating fraud or cyber crime.
Everyday is different. Despite having plans for your day it is highly likely that a murder, serious traffic accident, major incident, drugs raid or other requirement will redirect your day.
Opportunities for new learning and development are available.
Critical decisions need to be made at all levels often without time to plan or think. One of the great things in policing is that Police Constables have far reaching powers such as the power to arrest, the power to stop and detain individuals and the power to close pubs and clubs down if need be. Police Constables have discretion as to whether to fully enforce the law or not.

I am sure that there are many other reasons too, such as a good salary, a stable career and a good pension.

Of course with any job there are disadvantages, some of these are:

Shift work doesn’t suit everyone. Early starts and working nights affects your diet and sometimes your health and well being.
There will be times when you’re working excessive hours and working on your days off in time of need (such as recent terror attacks).
Often on call which restricts your private life.
Always on duty even if you are off duty! You are expected to act positively if you see the law being broken or someone at risk of coming to harm.
Patrolling alone more and more due to financial pressures.
Risk of injury in enforcing the law. Not everyone likes the Police and you will encounter difficult and dangerous situations.

It is up to you to decide whether you think that the pro’s outweigh the con’s!! Go on … why do you want to join the police?

What will make you stand out and get you that job in the police or police promotion you want?

I get asked this question all the time … having a good awareness of the issues affecting policing will help you to stand out from the crowd.

Whether thinking of joining the police or wanting that next police promotion, it is worth taking some time to critically analyse policing before working on your skills and experience.

My e-learning courses talk in more depth about challenges in policing but here are a few questions to get you thinking …

Is degree entry into policing a good thing or not? Will it affect efforts to have a police service which is representative of the public? Will some communities be disadvantaged by such a policy?
What do you think about direct entry into policing at Inspector and Superintendent level? Is it necessary and if so why?
Is policing sustainable as it is? Can the police force cope with new and unprecedented demands? Should there be fewer police forces or even a national police force to reduce waste and ensure greater resilience?

What views do you have? Have you given them any thought? How would you approach any of these questions or presentation subjects?

Help is on hand – regardless of whether you’re at the beginning of planning your police journey or taking the next step with police promotion – I’ve developed models, structures and will help you to think about and plan your answers.

Get in touch if you want to find out more and get ahead of the crowd …

Why did I join the police?

neil Honestly? This is something I am not proud of, however it’s true!

My brother, Paul really wanted to be a cop. Sadly for him he suffered from asthma and was also colour blind, which prevented him from progressing with his application.

I was a little bit naughty in my secondary school years and didn’t really know what to do with my life.

Having considered following family members into the electrical business and also being offered a place on a highly regarded sports foundation course I too, (out of sheer devilment to my brother) applied to join the police cadets. Call it one upmanship on my elder brother!!

Well, I passed the educational tests and the medical (which I will not go into on this blog!) and was accepted. I joined Nottinghamshire Police cadets straight from school on 20th September 1982: two years later I became a regular Police Constable and was posted to a place I had not previously heard of – Sutton In Ashfield, within the Mansfield Division. This would mean moving away from home as a 19 year old and into lodgings with a 50+ year old divorcee!!

Watch this space for my 1st day as a PC and how I got myself into deep trouble with my Inspector!

Visit my site to see how we can support you

Top 10 tips to deliver exceptional performance to become a Police Officer

This is the first of my blogs … being a little ‘green’ with technology I looked into further ways I could support my clients – past, present and prospective.

“Blogs – should give people something useful and free” I was told. So my experience, learning and a few funny stories along the way will follow.

Some of you may find them helpful, some may store for later when needed and some may just see that no matter how far I got in my career, we are all human!

So, for all aspiring police officers this one’s for you … based on my previous experience and knowledge of assessment centre exercises and force interviews here is the learning and some top tips to help you secure a top placing at your police recruitment assessment centre or force interview;

Be absolutely clear as to why you want to be a Police Officer. Can you deliver your 30 second pitch? Try it now before proceeding? It is likely to be your 1st question
Be well prepared! With approximately 80,000 applicants per year police forces will only select the very best.
Use tried, tested and experienced coaches to help you prepare. Take time to research those you are considering investing in as it will pay dividends. Those that can provide you with structured models and examples will help you deliver
Don’t just seek to pass. You should aim for top place to set the tone for the rest of your career
Use the best method of learning to suit your needs, lifestyle and time. Travelling to attend courses can be worthwhile but it builds in extra time and costs. E-learning can provide you with flexible and cost-effective learning but not for all that need classroom input.
You must know your assessment criteria and the 7 exercises that you will face at your assessment centre. The research phase is critical!
Present yourself as a professional, passionate and a most capable individual who has high potential to succeed in policing.
Look smart at all times. This will give you additional confidence.
You must wake up on your big day very much looking forward to your assessment centre or force interview. Appearing motivated, engaged and eager to succeed will impress your assessors.
Knowledge, experience and prep is power! With the right preparation you will stand out and blow your assessors away.

If you would like more information then please contact us using the form below.