Police Officers

Being a police officer is one of the most personally rewarding, challenging and diverse careers available to you.

It’s a vital role and offers a great sense of pride from helping and protecting those within our community.

From being the first on the scene or arresting an abuser to being a shoulder to cry on and a reassuring face; this role is thrilling yet constantly challenging. You’ll work in a fast-paced 24/7 environment where no two shifts will be the same. You could find yourself:

• Acting on emergency calls.
• Investigating reported crimes.
• Apprehending, arresting and interviewing suspects.
• Collecting evidence at crime scenes.
• Dealing with accidents and incidents.
• Supporting victims and witnesses of domestic abuse.
• Engaging with children and young people to help change perceptions of the police.
• Working with emergency service colleagues from Ambulance, Fire and Rescue.
• Responding to reports of anti-social behaviour.
• Being a visible presence at large scale public events.

You need to be prepared for anything. Which is why we have introduced our new entry routes into policing; providing you with the skills and capabilities to be a successful police officer in the ever-changing environment.

There are also many opportunities to progress through the ranks and/or specialise in any area of policing that interests you most – Detective, Firearms, Public Protection or the Dog Unit are just as some examples.

You’ll need to be compassionate and confident yet calm with the judgment to make quick decisions, ask the right questions to gauge the situation in front of you and respond appropriately. It’s not all 'blues-and-twos'; building strong relationships with the public, victims, witnesses and suspects are also critical so being a good communicator, listener and empathic are all vital too. You’ll face some of the most difficult situations you can think of, and some of the most interesting. Finding the balance is key and being able to separate emotion from fact can often be challenging; however, you will always be supported – we are a family.

Most importantly, you’ll simply want to make a difference.

To apply for the role you must:

• Be aged 17 years or older (you must be 18 by the time you are appointed).
• Be a British citizen, a citizen of a country that is a member of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national who is resident in the UK and free from restrictions.
• Have been resident in the UK for the past three years.
• Have a full manual driving licence (by the time of appointment).
• Not have more than six penalty points.
• Not have tattoos which could cause offence.
• Not be registered bankrupt (or have bankruptcy debts that have been discharged within the past three years).
• Be able to pass a job-related fitness test
• Be able to pass a medical screening and meet the minimum eyesight standards
• Not be a current or previous member of a proscribed terrorist organisation or group.

If you have a criminal record, this doesn’t mean you won’t be considered. This depends on the nature of your conviction. Please declare any current or previous cautions or convictions, including cautions as a juvenile, on your application form.

You also are required to hold the following qualifications:

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

• One A Level Grade A*-C or equivalent Level 3 qualification that is a minimum of 32 UCAS points (you can check how many points your qualification is worth on the UCAS tariff calculator) or a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing.
• You must also hold GCSE Grade A*-C/4-9 or level 2 functional skills in both Maths and English or education equivalent to Level 2 at point of application.

Read our guide to attaining Level 2 English and Maths or equivalent.

Applicants without Level 3 qualifications can be considered if you have served in an emergency services role, military, armed forces or similar law enforcement agency considered to be operational by Sussex Police for a minimum of 2 years within the past 5 years and have an exemplary reference.

Degree Holder Entry Program (DHEP)

• Have successfully completed, and be able to evidence, a UK undergraduate honours degree (360 credits) in any subject. We can only accept applications from candidates who have already graduated and can upload their degree certificate on application.
• Applicants with non–UK degrees can be considered if their degree is recognised as equivalent by UK NARIC but will need to provide evidence of an acceptable English language qualification if their degree was not taught and assessed in English.

You will need to provide copies of your qualifications when you apply. We can accept a statement of results but you will need to provide copies of the original certificates before you will be invited to an Assessment Centre.

When you join Sussex Police, you can expect a career with variety, diversity, challenges, rewards and now, a professional qualification. You’ll be a key figure on the front line, a vital job that matters to the public but also matters to us.

For the PCDA, we will give you:

• A starting salary of £22,902 (including South East Allowance of £1,500) with the potential to rise to £42,630 within the first seven years.
• Fully-funded professional qualification – a Degree in Professional Policing Practice.
• 22 days per year annual leave, rising to 30 days (based on a working day of 7.4 hours) a year depending on your length of service.
• Opportunity to progress through the ranks and/or specialise in an area of policing that interests you most.
• A competitive benefits package including:
  • Highly competitive pension scheme.
  • Flexible benefits.
  • An employee assistance programme for advice and counselling.
  • Access to discounts, savings and cash back rewards.
• Progressive approach to flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and potential for a career break (after two years’ service).
• Opportunities to join various support networks, staff associations and sports clubs.

For the DHEP, we will give you:

• A starting salary of £26,280 (including South East Allowance of £1,500) with the potential to rise to £42,630 within the first seven years.
• Fully-funded professional qualification – a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice.
• 22 days per year annual leave, rising to 30 days (based on a working day of 7.4 hours) a year depending on your length of service.
• Opportunity to progress through the ranks and/or specialise in an area of policing that interests you most.
• A competitive benefits package including:
  • Highly competitive pension scheme.
  • Flexible benefits.
  • An employee assistance programme for advice and counselling.
  • Access to discounts, savings and cash back rewards.
• Progressive approach to flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and potential for a career break (after two years’ service).
• Opportunities to join various support networks, staff associations and sports clubs.

Read more about what you can expect from us as an employer.

Throughout your three year apprenticeship degree programme, you will be supported by our in-house learning and professional development team.

Police officers make challenging decisions which impact the public every day. They face complex issues, often in dangerous situation, with growing demands from digital investigation and vulnerable individuals. The existing recruit training programme wasn’t designed with these demands in mind. The new entry routes recognise constables operate at a level where they take personal responsibility for decisions in complex, unpredictable environments and help provide the skills and capabilities necessary for policing in the 21^st Century.

We currently offer:

• The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship is the new entry route for Police Constables and was launched in December 2019. It is a three-year apprenticeship programme with both on and off the job learning. Upon successfully finishing the programme, and completing probation, individuals will achieve a Degree in Professional Policing Practice. 
• The Degree Holder Entry Programme is aimed at degree-holders who have attained a degree in any subject area. At the end of this two-year practice-based programme, individuals will receive a Level Six Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice. 

You will be employed as an officer from day one, gaining valuable experience of the role alongside studying towards your degree.  You will also be paid a salary while studying and will not be charged any tuition fees – therefore no need for student loans.

The application process consists of several stages and it’s important to note that because of this, the average time from application to appointment is between 8–10 months.

Sussex Police has introduced a new online assessment process during the Covid-19 pandemic. Our national recruitment standards are maintained, and in the coming months this will continually be reviewed. During the current climate the following stages apply:

• Stage One: Application and Eligibility checks
• Stage Two: Behavioural Style Questionnaire (BSQ)
• Stage Three: Virtual Assessment Centre

• Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
• Competency-based video interview
• Written assessment and briefing exercise

• Stage Four: Online interview with Sussex Police  
• Stage Five: Pre-employment checks

Stage One: Application form

Your personal details will be checked and that all eligibility criteria has been met.

Stage Two: Behavioural Style Questionnaire (BSQ)

A multiple-choice assessment, which will assess whether you have the right behavioural traits to work as a Police Constable.

Stage Three: Virtual Assessment Centre

• Situational Judgement Test (SJT) – This test measures your ability to choose the appropriate action in situations similar to those you are likely to faces as a police Constable.
• Online video competency-based interview – This interview will be based upon the competency and values framework
• Briefing exercise – You will be presented with a short brief and have to prepare your responses to key questions.
• Written exercise – You will be provided with information and will be asked to provide written responses.

Stage Four: Online Force interview

Virtual interview conducted by a panel of Sussex Police representatives. This interview will be based upon the competency and values framework. 

Stage Five: Pre-employment checks

This is when we begin our pre-employment checks which consist of a medical, vetting, biometric vetting, substance misuse and a fitness test.

• Fitness Test: you will need to obtain level 5.4 in the bleep test.
• Medical: you will be required to complete a questionnaire with your medical history.
• Biometric Vetting: we will take your fingerprints, DNA, and check them against the appropriate database.
• Substance Misuse: We will also collect a sample of hair to test for the presence of inappropriate substances.
• Vetting: this will assess you and your families’ criminal record, financial status and business interests.

If you have any questions about the recruitment process, please read our helpful guide.

We’re also happy to discuss further – please contact recruitment@sussex.pnn.police.uk to arrange.

We are not currently accepting transfer of assessment centre scores. This decision may be reviewed in the future and our website will be updated accordingly.

We are only as good as our people. It's really important to us that our officers and staff can be themselves in the workplace and we believe that as an organisation we'll benefit from the variety of thinking, approaches and skills which diversity can bring; all of which helps us to deliver a better policing service.

We have worked hard to create a safe, open and inclusive culture. We have a range of staff networking groups to provide specific support and advice and we are proud to be members of Stonewall and Disability Confident, and to be aligned with the Armed Forces Covenant and the HeForShe movement.

We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities so, regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status or religious beliefs, we would love to hear from you.

We are actively working on a range of activities to improve this with one of the proactive ways we seek to increase representation is via a bespoke mentoring scheme which is aimed at guiding applicants from diverse communities through the recruitment process.

For more information, please email sapna.patel@sussex.pnn.police.uk You can also read more on our Positive Action page.

We will also be running a series of recruitment information evenings for under-represented communities in 2020. More information will be made available shortly.

If you have any questions about the role or the recruitment process, please read our helpful guide.

We’re also happy to discuss further – please contact recruitment@sussex.pnn.police.uk to arrange.