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UK Police Service - Eligibility

Here you will find help to find out whether you are eligible to join the police service.

To apply for an English or Welsh Police Force

The basic criteria required for application is:

  • Aged between 18 ½ years and 55 years (age limit can vary depending on the force).
  • A British, Irish or a Commonwealth citizen (whose stay in this country is not subject to restriction)
  • Of good character
  • Physically fit and healthy
  • A full driving licence (or in the process of learning)

The pay and conditions of service for a constable can be found by clicking this link to Pay and Conditions.

To apply click this link to the Home Office Police Recruitment Site for England and Wales only and complete the online enquiry. A representative from the Police force of your choice will then contact you.

Special Constable

Special Constables are ordinary members of the public who give up their own time in order to assist the regular officers in their duties. Special Constables have the same powers as a regular officer and are required to attend for duty for a minimum number of hours per month normally around 16-18 hours. The role is unpaid, but the uniform is provided free and reasonable out-of-pocket expenses are paid by the force.

The basic criteria required for application is:

  • Aged between 18 ½ years and 50 years (age limit can vary depending on the force)
  • A British, Irish or a Commonwealth citizen (whose stay in this country is not subject to restriction)
  • Of good character
  • Physically fit and healthy
  • People in certain jobs are not suitable due to conflicts of interests e.g. licensees, security officers and court officials etc.

To apply for the Special Constabulary use the Police Links page to go to the web site of the force you wish to join. The forces own site will give you details of the e-mail address, telephone number or postal address you need to contact for an application form for that forces Special Constabulary.

If you want to know whether you qualify for the Police Force, read the Police Eligibilty section above.

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