Special Constable

What are we looking for

Good communicators with a calm, confident personality; problem solvers; team players; trust builders and people who easily build relationships, respect other people and appreciate views from communities across the region.

Successful applicants will be joining the second largest police force in England, covering an area of 348 square miles and serving a population of almost 2.8 million.

Eligibility Requirements:

Below is a summary of the basic eligibility criteria a more detailed can be found on the College of Policing website.

Education

There is no formal educational requirement, but you will be required to pass written tests.

Age

To apply to the Police Service you must be at least 18 years old. There is no upper limit.

Residency

You must be a British citizen or a citizen of a country that is a member of the European Economic Area or Switzerland. Commonwealth citizens and other foreign nationals are also eligible but only if they are resident in the UK free of restrictions. If you have recently resided abroad we need to be able to check your previous three years (including employment, education and/or residency).

Membership of British National Party and similar

The Police Service has a policy prohibiting any of their officers, staff or volunteers from becoming members of the British National Party (BNP). Combat 18 or the National Front, whose aims, objectives or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote race equality. If you are a member of the BNP or similar, your application will be rejected.

Criminal Convictions

Convictions or cautions will not necessarily preclude you from appointment. It will depend on their nature and the circumstances of the offence. However, failure to disclose convictions or cautions will result in your application being refused.

Business Interests

Certain occupations may preclude applicants from being special constables, for example neighbourhood and street wardens, and those involved in the administration of the law. Other roles which are precluded include security occupations which hold a Security Industry Association (SIA) licence.

Health, fitness, eyesight and disability

Applicants must be in good health, of sound constitution and able both physically and mentally to perform the duties of a Special Constable once appointed. You will need to be physically fit and able to pass the job related fitness test (standard bleep test.)  

You will undergo medical screening. You will also need to meet the minimum eyesight standards for corrected (glasses or contact lenses) and uncorrected vision. For more information go to www.police.couldyou.co.uk.  You will also undergo a hearing test and review of your Body Mass Index (BMI must be at least 18 and no more than 30 – to calculate yours, visit: https://www.nhs.uk/live-well/healthy-weight/bmi-calculator/).

Tattoos

Tattoos are not a bar to appointment. However, some tattoos could potentially offend members of the public or colleagues, or could bring discredit to the Police Service. It depends on their size, nature and location. If you have tattoos on your face, neck, forearms or hands you will be asked to provide at least two photographs of each tattoo.

Tattoos are unacceptable if they:

• undermine the dignity and authority of the office of constable;
• could cause offence to members of the public or colleagues and/or invite provocation;
• are garish or numerous or particularly prominent;
• indicate unacceptable attitudes towards women, minority groups or any other section of the community;
• indicate alignment with a particular group that could give offence to members of the public or colleagues and/or are considered to be discriminatory, rude, lewd, crude, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic, violent or intimidating.

Financial Position

Special Constables are in a privileged position with regard to access to information and could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption. Applicants to the Police Service should not therefore be under pressure from undischarged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly. Most applicants have debts, such as mortgages, undischarged student or other loans, and credit/store cards. Debts which are within your means and are manageable are not a bar to appointment.

Applicants who have existing County Court judgements outstanding against then or have been registered as bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have not been discharged will not be considered.

Applicants who have discharged County Court judgements may be considered.

Applicants who have been registered as bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have been discharged will only be considered after three years from discharge of the debt.

Applicants who are the subject of a current individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) may not be considered.

You will need to pass all Force security and medical checks.

If you don not meet the eligibility criteria or can not commit the time, you maybe be interested in one of our other volunteering roles. We are looking for people who can support some of our specialist teams, whether it’s to deliver crime prevention information in communities, support our team of historians, walk our police puppies, or offer key skills to some specialist teams – take a look at the many opportunities to volunteer in our careers portal - https://jobs.west-midlands.police.uk/