• take a criminal father away from his kids on Christmas Day?
• walk the beat on your own as a female officer?
• work another four hours at the end of your shift due to making an arrest or attending a car accident just before you were due to finish?
• deal with police matters when you are off duty?
• deliver a death message and then go on to a burglary – pushing your emotions aside and remain equal with your care?
• cope with being treated differently by friends and family?
• arrest a mother or father with children, for drink driving, when they rely on driving for their job and stand to lose everything?
• give a paedophile in your care as much respect or care as any other person?
• be sworn at, abused and bullied due to demands of the job?

However, there are definite advantages, so ask yourself these questions.

Would you like to...

• be part of a strong, supportive team?
• develop your interpersonal skills?
• become more confident in both your skills and emotions?
• take part in a wide range of enjoyable social pursuits?
• form strong bonds with colleagues that will support you throughout your career?
• meet different people from different walks of life every day of the week?
• experience challenging circumstances that will help you grow as a person?
• be offered the opportunity to experience many different careers in one?
• wake up ever day not knowing what you will be facing at work?
• learn new skills and develop undiscovered talent?

There are no hard and fast rules that say what type of person you should be, but there are certainly personality characteristics that will give you a good grounding.

You will be dealing with people in difficult situations, although you will be given the training you need to manage confrontation, you should also have a level of confidence that will help you cope with stressful conditions.

You will need to be patient and accepting of all people from all walks of life – Sussex Police has a strong belief in its commitment to diversity and you should reflect this as an officer.

You also need to be able to cope with the shift patterns, unpredictability and sometimes emotionally and mentally challenging situations that you will find yourself in.

However, if you relish a challenge and enjoy learning new skills and also developing your potential, then being a police officer could be the job for you.

We are looking for people aged between 18 and 55 with life experience. Read our self-selection questionnaire for more factors that you should take into consideration.