Police officer
Maintain law and order, investigate crimes, make arrests, give evidence in court and work on projects to prevent crime.
Also known as: policewoman, policeman, police constable
About the job
Salary
Source: National Careers Service
Weekly
£369
Entry level
£791
Experienced
Monthly
£1,597
Entry level
£3,428
Experienced
Yearly
£19,164
Entry level
£41,130
Experienced
14,600
people are currently employed
Low growth
900 fewer jobs in 5 years
These figures refer to this job and similar ones with comparable skills and qualifications. They only apply to Scotland. Source: Oxford Economics
A day in the life — police officer
What it's like
You would maintain law and order, investigate crimes, make arrests, give evidence in court and work on projects to prevent crime.
The work is very important in helping the members of your local community feel safe and secure.
You'd be employed by Police Scotland. You can see details of the training on the Police Scotland website.
After initial training you would work as a uniformed officer, either in a response or a community-based role, patrolling your area (or 'beat') on foot or in a patrol car. There would also be paperwork and other tasks to be completed in a police station.
Depending on your role, you would:
Respond to calls for help from the public
Investigate crimes and make arrests
Interview witnesses and suspects, prepare crime reports and take statements
Search for missing people
Give evidence in court
Go out to accidents and fires
Carry out administrative tasks around custody
Work at the station reception desk dealing with the public
Contact officers on the beat from the communications room
Police large public events, concerts and demonstrations
Visit schools to give talks
You would need to complete a trial period as an officer. This is called probation and lasts two years.
After that you may be able to specialise in a specific branch such as the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), the drug squad or the traffic police. You'd need to complete a Diploma in Police Service, Leadership and Management to be eligible for promotion.
You’d need solid knowledge of the law and good literacy skills.
Hours
Environment
Travel
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Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Here are some of the skills you'll need to do this job:
- making decisions
- ethical
- attention to detail
- empathising
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- mediating
- cooperating
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore the sections shown for more information about getting into this career.
You might have qualifications which are not shown here but will allow you access to a course. You can compare your qualifications by looking at their SCQF Level. For more information about this, check out the SCQF website.
Always contact the college, university or training provider to check exactly what you'll need.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
Modern Studies
People and Society
PE (Physical education)
Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
There are no formal qualifications required to enter this role but if your application is accepted you will need to pass the Standard Entrance Test which consists of papers on:
Language
Numeracy
Information-handling
You also need to pass a multi-stage fitness test (commonly known as the 'bleep test'). The bleep test is also carried out once more at the end of the recruitment process.
Practice papers for the Standard Entrance Test and pass marks for the fitness test are available on the Police Scotland website.
If you are successful at the initial interview, you will be invited to an assessment centre for teamwork exercises and another interview. Interviews are competency-based, and the competencies are published on the Police Scotland website.
Thorough background checks and a medical are also undertaken.
If you're aged 13-17 and considering being a police officer you could become a Police Scotland Youth Volunteer (PSYV). You'd attend community and national events across Scotland alongside adult volunteers and serving officers.
Being a volunteer could help you understand how policing works in Scotland by participating in your local community.
The programme is open to all young people aged 13-17. Find out more about being a PSYV and how to apply on the Police Scotland site.
To be at least 18 years old, but you can apply when you are 17½ years old
To be a British, European Union or Commonwealth citizen; or have permission to stay in the UK indefinitely and have lived in the UK for at least three years before your application
To be physically fit
To have good eyesight
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