What can you expect?
Being a police officer can offer the variety, excitement, stimulation and ultimate job satisfaction that few other occupations can even begin to match.
As a police officer you will gain enormous job satisfaction from knowing you are making a positive contribution to the community, offering help to members of the public in a wide variety of situations.
You may be asked for directions while on foot patrol, you could find yourself supporting paramedics at the scene of a serious road accident, or you could be comforting a distraught parent whose child has gone missing. It takes great mental toughness and resolve to remain calm when others around you may be unable to control their emotions.
There may also be times when you are facing tricky or possibly dangerous situations alone, so courage is essential. We're looking for people who have minds of their own, who can think on their feet, quickly weigh up a situation and act accordingly.
Community policing is well-established in Gloucestershire and you could find yourself working as part of a close-knit team solving community problems. You'll undoubtedly develop a real sense of belonging and have plenty of opportunities to make new friends.
No two days are ever the same for a police officer working in Gloucestershire. If you want the career of a regular community beat officer there will be opportunities for you to pursue this goal. There are also opportunities for officers who may want to become dog handlers, detectives, domestic violence or firearms officers.
If you want a challenging and rewarding career that matches your ambitions there is a promotion ladder ready for you to climb. Training is available to help you onto each new rung. A promotion policy ensures everyone has the same opportunities.
Policing goes on around the clock and you must expect to work weekends, evenings and public holidays in the fight against crime. Your normal working week will be 40 hours and you will be allocated a maximum of eight rest days a month. You will be entitled to 21 days holiday which will rise in line with your length of service.
Salary
The pay scales of police officers are in accordance with Police Regulations which may change from time to time. On appointment your salary will be £21,009 per annum. Following the successful completion of your initial training, which normally lasts 31 weeks, your salary will rise to £23, 454 per annum. All officers progress to £24,090 per annum on completion of two years' service as a constable.
Training
New recruits are now trained in house, after a Government reform programme ended national training schemes in favour of locally delivered programmes.
The Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP) will be delivered by the Constabulary to groups of 15 probationer constables at a time. During the two year programme probationer Constables will get as much practical training as possible, providing us with the opportunity to train police officers for Gloucestershire in Gloucestershire.
Core themes for the course have been decided upon to sit comfortably both with the directives from the Home Office and the needs of our Constabulary in support of Vision5. These are, Community, Intelligence, Professionalism and, Performance.
The course will take place in two phases, interspersed with annual leave and will be non-residential. The initial phase of 14 weeks will see student officers training alongside other members of the policing family including PCSOs and police staff. It will include law and community inputs and will give the student officer the opportunity to visit their INA. Student officers will also be expected to write a plan outlining how they intend dealing with a particular community issue together with an assignment linked to an issue on their INA. They will be formally assessed in the workplace.
After one week's leave, the student officer will move to the enhanced phase; this will last for seven weeks and will build upon the basic elements learnt in the initial phase. This second module has been designed to allow the officer time to spend time in the community, making their training more realistic. It will also help them to contextualise the role of police officer in the community they are to serve.
Finally, following a driving course, the officer will go to one of three Professional Development Units. There the student officer will work alongside a tutor constable for a period of 10 weeks, during which time they will be further assessed against the national occupational standards set by the Home Office.
Equal Opportunities
Equality and Diversity Policy Statement
Gloucestershire Constabulary is committed to serving the whole community with impartiality, sensitivity, awareness and understanding. As an employer, the Constabulary is committed to the same principles that underpin service to the community. The Constabulary will apply fair and non-discriminatory practices in recruitment, selection, training, conditions of service, career development and promotion of existing and prospective staff.
Decisions will be based on a combination of knowledge, skills, qualifications, experience and potential. This will be irrespective of sex, marital status, race, colour, ethnic or national origin, membership of a Trade Union/Staff Association, nationality, religion, creed, political opinion, disability, sexual orientation, gender re-assignment, age, and regardless of someone's background, personal circumstances or social position, or any other unjustifiable requirements.
All managers and supervisors have a particular responsibility to ensure that they and their staff operate equal opportunities practices fairly and effectively. They should challenge any incidents of unfair discrimination, harassment, bullying or other unacceptable behaviour.
The Constabulary seeks to ensure that employees are treated with fairness, dignity and respect and that the workplace is free from any form of harassment and bullying.
The Equality and Diversity Policy provides definitions and guidance and identifies all associated policies and procedures which seek to address any inappropriate practices and behaviour.
The policy relies on the understanding and support of all employees to make it a success.