I work in law enforcement 
I think the majority has been said above. You don’t need a degree, you’ll be expected to start at the bottom and get work up. You’ll be on probation for the first 2 years. As a uniformed Police Officer, dealing with everything that entails. So be prepared for that, the long hours, the shifts, the getting your leave cancelled at the last minute because something needs policing (and not necessarily in your area) and generally dealing with people who think you’re something they’ve just wiped off the sole of your shoe....once you get past that then you can start to look at areas you’d like to specialise in. Although as has been said competition is fierce but don’t let that put you off. To be a Detective you have to pass an exam and then complete a portfolio of work. Same goes for promotion to DS...you also have to sit an exam, then a board and even then you’re only recommended for a role, if there aren’t any then you’ll have to wait but there’s only a 2 year window to get a job otherwise it’s back to the start. Its very rewarding though, but equally you do have to have quite a thick skin and also be prepared to see/deal with stuff you can only imagine eg cyber crime deals a lot with the dark web and if you’ve never been on there it may come as a shock.....
NCA direct recruit but it’s quite a rigorous application process....they also have a lot of vacancies (unsurprisingly) on the the teams looking at child sexual abuse so people often get posted there first....not pleasant for want of a better word
There’s also HMRC and Immigration Enforcement who have prosecution sections.
BTP are nationwide but again a lot of your first couple of years will be spent dealing with the aftermath of people who have taken their life by jumping in front of a train
I’m making it sound bad but I really enjoy my job, it’s very rewarding. You don’t get paid a lot and as all public sector pay rises are pretty much a thing of the past again but your starting salary will be ok
Private industry do have cyber crime and other types of investigators and they will pay more but your chances there are slim. Competition is high and they tend to want people with a degree as well as law enforcement experience
You need to have a level of fitness and depending on some specialisms you may need more/have medical etc (eg firearms)
Also I assume you don’t have a criminal record? Or any close family with any convictions (don’t answer me I don’t need to know but something to think about) you are vetted, they look into your past, your family, your finances. It’s quite intrusive and depending on some of the work they do enhanced checks and you’ll have to detail literally everything about your life and then they’ll decide if you can have the appropriate clearance so if they refuse you may not get the job you want.
Have you thought about being a special Constable? You get the same exposure and powers as a regular officer and would look good on future applications as well as give you an idea of what to expect? There are always vacancies for them
Have you thought about being a special Constable? You get the same exposure and powers as a regular officer and would look good on future applications as well as give you an idea of what to expect? There are always vacancies for them
I think the majority has been said above. You don’t need a degree, you’ll be expected to start at the bottom and get work up. You’ll be on probation for the first 2 years. As a uniformed Police Officer, dealing with everything that entails. So be prepared for that, the long hours, the shifts, the getting your leave cancelled at the last minute because something needs policing (and not necessarily in your area) and generally dealing with people who think you’re something they’ve just wiped off the sole of your shoe....once you get past that then you can start to look at areas you’d like to specialise in. Although as has been said competition is fierce but don’t let that put you off. To be a Detective you have to pass an exam and then complete a portfolio of work. Same goes for promotion to DS...you also have to sit an exam, then a board and even then you’re only recommended for a role, if there aren’t any then you’ll have to wait but there’s only a 2 year window to get a job otherwise it’s back to the start. Its very rewarding though, but equally you do have to have quite a thick skin and also be prepared to see/deal with stuff you can only imagine eg cyber crime deals a lot with the dark web and if you’ve never been on there it may come as a shock.....NCA direct recruit but it’s quite a rigorous application process....they also have a lot of vacancies (unsurprisingly) on the the teams looking at child sexual abuse so people often get posted there first....not pleasant for want of a better word
There’s also HMRC and Immigration Enforcement who have prosecution sections.
BTP are nationwide but again a lot of your first couple of years will be spent dealing with the aftermath of people who have taken their life by jumping in front of a train
I’m making it sound bad but I really enjoy my job, it’s very rewarding. You don’t get paid a lot and as all public sector pay rises are pretty much a thing of the past again but your starting salary will be ok
Private industry do have cyber crime and other types of investigators and they will pay more but your chances there are slim. Competition is high and they tend to want people with a degree as well as law enforcement experience
You need to have a level of fitness and depending on some specialisms you may need more/have medical etc (eg firearms)
Also I assume you don’t have a criminal record? Or any close family with any convictions (don’t answer me I don’t need to know but something to think about) you are vetted, they look into your past, your family, your finances. It’s quite intrusive and depending on some of the work they do enhanced checks and you’ll have to detail literally everything about your life and then they’ll decide if you can have the appropriate clearance so if they refuse you may not get the job you want.
Have you thought about being a special Constable? You get the same exposure and powers as a regular officer and would look good on future applications as well as give you an idea of what to expect? There are always vacancies for them
Have you thought about being a special Constable? You get the same exposure and powers as a regular officer and would look good on future applications as well as give you an idea of what to expect? There are always vacancies for them
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I'm also looking into police staff roles as can just transfer my current skills I've already developed, and not lose as much money if I do get a role
