Why do you want to join the police? Or why have you chosen a career in the police?

Irrespective of the stage you are at in your police career, whether just applying for a PC role or moving into a senior post, the recruiters will be keen to explore your motivation. One of the top interview questions commonly asked at most levels here in the UK is why have you chosen the police as your career.

There could be many different reasons for wanting to join the Thin Blue Line, and lots of people may even have several reasons for wanting to join the force and in this post we will show you how to answer this tough question.

Whatever your reasoning is, any police recruiter is going to ask you why you want to join. They will ask because they want and need to understand your commitment to the role, and from there, help gauge your suitability for a position within the Police Force.

With all of this in mind, you must be able to answer the question “Why do you want a career in the Police?” clearly and sincerely. This is why you are in the right place to learn how to plus you will learn how to answer some of the most common police interview questions.

How to Answer: Why Join the Police or Why have you chosen a career in the Police?

While most UK forces use police competency based interview questions, we also find that you the chances of you being asked this question at some stage are pretty high, whether it be on an application form or at an interview. You certainly know why you want to start a career with the Police, but articulating it may be difficult.

Some variations of this question may well include the following examples, but remember they are asking pretty much the same thing:

• Why do you want to be a Police Constable (PC) / police community support officer (PCSO)?
• Why do want to become a police sergeant or detective?
• Why did you choose law enforcement as your preferred career path?
• What has motivated you to join the police?

Demonstrating your dedication to a career in the police is crucial. You should try to respond in a way that shows you’re considering your future goals and career growth as well as choosing a role that matches to the skills you are bringing.

To prepare for this question, we suggest preparing a strong 2 minute long answer.  have an answer ready so you can respond confidently and don’t forget to consider your career path. Here are a few reasons why you might be thinking about a career in the police, to help you form your response:

Making a Difference: As a police officer, you get to do a job where you make a difference every single day. You’ll help reduce crime and provide a reassuring presence, making life safer and happier for the people you serve.

Personal and Professional Development: When you join the police, you’ll develop both personally and professionally. The Met offers ongoing training through courses, mentoring, and coaching

Benefits and Rewards: The police force offers a range of benefits including annual leave, pension, free and discounted travel, health and well-being support, discounts and benefits, and career development opportunities.

Job Security: Policing is a career that offers long-term security, since there will always be a need for police officers, and the opportunity for growth and change.

See how InterviewGold will help you build winning answers for both your applications and interviews. 

What do you know about the responsibilities involved in a career in the Police Force?

They may test you with this questions to see how much you know about the post you have applied for.

To help you answer, make sure you study the job description. You will find there are a lot of responsibilities associated with a career in the Police. For instance, you may be tasked with addressing incident reports and aiding in crime resolution. This can include interacting with crime victims and witnesses, conducting evidence searches, investigating the circumstances, and the apprehension and questioning of suspects.

Police officer duties also include preventive measures, such as patrolling specific areas and providing security at large-scale events.

Other responsibilities include:

• Interviewing suspects.
• Taking statements.
• Writing reports and keeping them updated.
• Gathering evidence.
• Giving evidence in court.
• Building positive relationships with the public.
• Patrolling given areas on foot, bike, motorcycle or car.
• Making and processing arrests.
• Searching suspects.
• Responding to accidents and emergencies.
• Advising on crime prevention.
• Traffic and crowd control.
• keeping the peace/mediation.

Other responsibilities may apply depending on the force and attained rank.

What do you see as the most exciting aspects of a career in the police?

Starting a career in the police force empowers you to create a positive impact in your community. Your role in helping to decrease crime and establish a comforting presence helps to create a safer and more content environment for the people who live there.

Joining the police force puts you in a great position for personal and professional growth. The comprehensive training you undergo equips you with skills that prove beneficial throughout your career journey and will stay with you long after.

The potential for career advancement within the law enforcement sector is vast. If you start your journey as a Police Constable, like most newcomers, you will have the chance to climb through the ranks after successfully finishing your probation period.

Ranks within the UK Police are as follows:

• Police Constable/Detective Constable: The starting rank for new police officers.
• Sergeant: This rank can be viewed as a supervisory position, where a Sergeant will normally be responsible for a team of Police Constables.
• Inspector: uniformed inspectors are responsible for the Sergeants and their Constables on their shifts. They will also oversee major incidents in the area their force operates.
• Chief Inspector: The Chief Inspector’s role can vary depending on the force, typically they act as the senior police officer in larger towns. As a part of this, they will often oversee large teams such as investigations or operations.
• Superintendent: A Superintendent would usually be in charge of a section of a Command, given that it is a senior rank.
• Chief Superintendent: Those at this rank are responsible for the policing of a geographical area of their force.
• Assistant Chief Constable: Officers of this rank mostly oversee a specific function or business area within the police force they operate in, for example, Investigations or Operations.
• Deputy Chief Constable: As the name suggests, they act as a deputy for the Chief Constable. This means handling the running of the force and supporting the Chief Constable in their duties.
• Chief Constable: Officers at this rank have overall responsibility for the running of their force.

Due to its large scale, five ranks within the Metropolitan Police surpass the rank of Chief Superintendent. These include the ranks of Commander, Deputy Assistant Commissioner, Assistant Commissioner, Deputy Commissioner, and Commissioner.

What skills do you bring which are essential for this police job?

Another tough interview question but one which is easy to answer once you have completed your research of the job description.  Choose 3-5 of the core essential skills they list. Then match these to your own abilities and for each have an example from your own experience which shows your competence.

• When it comes to a career in the police in the UK, there are prerequisites in the form of skills and abilities that you will need. These skills and attributes are pretty universal across all police forces in the UK, and here’s a quick rundown of the more important ones:
• Interpersonal communication is a great skill to have. This involves adjusting your communication strategies and language to connect with others and help them interpret information. A police officer encounters lots of different people, from all walks of life, and they have to be able to communicate with them effectively.
• Police officers must be able to adapt to a variety of different working environments, social climates, and people.
• Having empathy is important. This is the process by which a person can imagine how someone may be feeling. Empathy allows them to provide emotional support and better understand the situation.
• A police officer needs to be assertive. This means you need the ability to express your feelings and assert your rights while respecting the feelings and rights of others.
• Having confidence as a police officer involves the ability to remain calm in challenging or dangerous situations and the confidence to work with people from all backgrounds.

Why do you think you are likely to thrive in a career in the police in the UK?

This question is really asking if you are the type of person who is suited to a police career and if you can recognise what characteristics you have which are relevant.

There is a lot of variety in the life of a police officer, with no two days ever being the same. Many jobs can be like this, but few can demand the kinds of dynamic gear changes that being a police officer can.

Not everyone can build a successful career in the police, mostly because they just aren’t quite right for it. So, what type of person is likely to love a career in the police?

Are you analytical? The duties of a police officer vary depending on the day. Officers must be able to adapt to various working environments, social climates and people. They should also be able to adapt to using new technology so they can provide the best service to their community.

A successful police officer needs to be community-minded and have a sense of personal responsibility: Police officers serve the public by responding to calls for help and advising the public on personal safety and crime prevention. They should have a sense of personal responsibility, integrity and resilience.

Are you a problem solver? Police officers often deal with complex and sensitive cases, requiring clear reasoning and evidence gathering. They should be able to think on their feet and respond to new challenges.

Are you willing to learn new skills? As data and technology become ever more important to policing, officers should be willing to develop new skills.

This is not an exhaustive list of attributes, and you should also be a confident person as well among other things, as you will need to be to handle the day-to-day duties of an officer.

What qualifications do you need to begin your career in the police?

Aside from needing to be at least 18, you also have to be a British citizen, a European Community or European Economic Area (EEA) citizen, or failing that a foreign national with approval to remain in the UK indefinitely without restrictions.

You also need to have been living in the UK for at least three years, excluding certain circumstances such as serving in the British Armed Forces.

In terms of academic qualifications, you need to have A-Levels or their equivalent. If you don’t have these then you need prior experience as a PCSO (Police Community Support Officer) for at least 18 months.

You can also apply without A-Levels if you have some experience as a Special Constable who has had independent patrol status within the last two years.

Recruits have four ways to enter the police and begin their careers:

• Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)
• Degree Holders’ Entry Programme (DHEP)
• Degree in Professional Policing (PPD)
• Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP)

It should also be noted that you will not be able to join the police if you have ‘offensive’ tattoos, a criminal record or debt problems. Any other qualifications or abilities you hold may help your application, so don’t leave anything out if you think it may be useful.

How do you apply for a career in the police?

Police forces will sometimes advertise on recruitment websites, such as Indeed.com, but that isn’t too often as there are almost always positions waiting to be filled within a given force.

Your best option for finding jobs in your town is to simply type something along the lines of “police in Birmingham” into a search bar. The website for your local force is likely to be the first result.

The first step is to check your eligibility, you can do this easily at JoiningThePolice.co.uk, and this checks if you are good to go based on the above section and some health-related questions.

You will then complete an application form, some exercises in the ‘sift’ process and then an online evaluation if you get through the sift. Those are the easy bits to get through!

Prepare your application

Put some time aside to prepare your application, some time when you won’t be disturbed or distracted. If you have A-levels or a Level 3 Diploma, mention these prominently as they will make your application to join the police that little easier. Your application is your chance to shine and show why you should be considered.

Proofread everything to be sure you didn’t miss anything or make a mistake.

The application process

Applying for the police is a little drawn out and it starts with the eligibility check and initial application as mentioned above. After this, it continues:

The sift: This is pretty much how it sounds and is used to help police force recruiters narrow down the number of applicants. There are several exercises to complete at this stage, and the number of exercises depends on the force you are applying to.

Online assessment: If you do make it through the Sift, you’ll be invited to complete the online assessment. While not as daunting as it might sound, it does involve three exercises. These test key values and competencies that every police officer should possess.

Medical and fitness tests: Before joining a force, you’ll have to complete a medical and fitness test to make sure you’ve got the strength and endurance needed to be a police officer.

Pre-employment and vetting checks: This is the last stage and is very thorough. You don’t have to do anything here, but the police will be doing a lot of checking behind the scenes.

A career in the police, regardless of the force, can be an extremely rewarding one – if challenging. If you are up for it, and you possess the will to succeed, then this could be an excellent career move for you.

Succeed in Your Police Interview With InterviewGold

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