4. Eligibility and criteria

Applicants can go through the recruitment process at the age of 17 but cannot be appointed until the age of 18. There is no upper age limit for applying to the police service, but bear in mind that being a police officer is demanding both physically and mentally.

We welcome all ages as we believe a diverse workforce that is reflective of everyone who lives in our community is the best way to be effective. No matter your age, you will bring important skills and perspectives that are key tools for being a police officer. 

The qualifications you'll need will depend on the entry route you take to become a police officer with Gloucestershire Constabulary. Applicants will need to provide proof of their qualifications as part of the application process.

Details of qualifications for each entry route are as follows:

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

As a minimum you must hold a:

• Level 2 qualification in English and Maths. This can be proved by having GCSEs graded A* to C / 9 to 4 or an equivalent, such as Level 2 Functional Skills.
• Level 3 qualification. This can be proved by having two A Levels, or equivalent qualification, in any subject.

A full list of qualifications and what level they relate to can be found on the GOV.UK website.

For applicants who do not possess a Level 3 qualification, you must complete a competency based Personal Statement, detailing your experience and ability to work at degree level. If your statement is successful, you will move to the next stage of the recruitment process.

Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP)

Applicants for the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) must hold a degree in any subject to be able to apply.

Pre-join Degree in Professional Policing (PPD)

Applicants for the Pre-join Degree in Professional Policing (PPD) must have attained or be in your final year of study for an Honours Degree in Professional Policing to apply.

You must be a British citizen, an EC/EEA national, Switzerland citizen or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom. As we need a minimum of five year's residential history to be able to complete background checks, foreign nationals and UK citizens who have lived abroad may have to wait some time for security and vetting clearance. You must have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years with no breaks of longer than 3 months during this time immediately before applying.

You will need to have a full UK manual driving licence and be medically fit to drive to be appointed as a police officer.

You are able to apply if you have a provisional driving licence but will not be allocated onto an intake until you have obtained a full UK manual driving licence.

A number of crimes will mean a definite or likely rejection of your application, including anyone who has received a formal caution in the last five years, committed a violent crime or public order offence. If you are at all unsure, get in contact and ask.

Tattoos are very common; all tattoos are reviewed to check appropriateness. Images that are grotesque, violent, have a strong religious or political connection or would undermine the dignity and authority of your role would not be acceptable.

You will be required to upload photos of all tattoos located on your hands, wrist, forearms, neck and face within the application form.

Applicants will have their financial status checked. These checks are carried out because police officers have access to privileged information which may make them vulnerable to corruption.

Applicants with, or who have had, County Court Judgements or who may be on a Debt Recovery Plan will be assessed on a case by case basis. If you have any concerns, please ask before applying for more information.

To ensure you are fit enough for the role and to keep you safe, you will undertake a job related fitness test which you must pass before you can be appointed.

We are looking for no more than the minimum standard needed to enable you to work effectively as a police officer. You will be given help to improve your fitness and if you prepare yourself properly, there is no reason for you to fail. 

Police officers encounter stressful situations, trauma, physical confrontation and work long hours on shifts. They need to be resilient enough to cope with the demands and pressures of police work. Applicants must therefore be in good health mentally and physically to undertake police duties. You will undergo a medical examination to ensure you meet the health standards required.

Applicants will have their eyesight tested at the medical assessment stage. You may be asked to go to an optician to have your eyes tested and the eyesight form filled in. Failure to pass this test will lead to rejection.

You can apply to more than one force at any one time if you wish, but it is important that candidates do not attend more than one Assessment Centre at a time.

If you have previously applied to join the police service and been unsuccessful at the Online Assessment Centre, you must wait three months from your initial rejection to apply again.

If you have already been to a SEARCH/Online Assessment Centre assessment and have received a successful result, this will be valid for 24 months maximum.

If you have a valid Online Assessment Centre Score and wish to transfer this to Gloucestershire Constabulary please use the link in the 'Apply to become a Police Officer' section.

The need for the residency rule arises from the requirement to vet all applicants in an equitable manner. This is because the UK police service does not currently have any means of facilitating vetting enquiries overseas to the extent required for those who are resident in the UK.

The purpose of the residency criteria is to ensure that applicants have a checkable history in the UK, so that meaningful vetting enquiries can be undertaken. The criteria provide reassurance when considering the health and safety of police personnel and the public. Effective vetting cannot be conducted if there is no way to assess the honesty, integrity, reliability and overall suitability for clearance of appointees against the information available.

The residency requirements refer to the period immediately before an application is made, and not any other three-, five-, or ten-year period, or any other accumulation of time spent in the UK.

If an individual resides permanently in the UK, they are considered to be a UK resident.

An individual who has moved overseas and severed major ties to the UK (e.g., closed bank accounts and sold property) is considered to have surrendered their residency in the UK. This would also apply to people who maintain bank accounts purely for the purpose of receiving regular payments, e.g., a UK pension.

An individual is considered to be on an extended holiday if they have:

• spent a significant period of time overseas without returning to the UK, but intend to return in the future
• taken a gap year before or following university
• travelled for a year
• spent time overseas visiting family.

This is not an exhaustive list.

Individuals who meet the above criteria maintain their UK residency and may therefore be considered for vetting clearance.

An individual who has been posted overseas as part of their service with His Majesty's Government or the Armed Forces is considered to have been resident in the UK for the period that they were abroad.

Where an individual has been overseas as the spouse, partner or dependent of a member of the Armed Forces posted overseas, they can be considered to have been resident in the UK if their place of residence was within the confines of the establishment, e.g., a military base. If they were residing outside this, they are considered to have been resident overseas.

To be eligible to apply you need to have been resident in the UK for at least 3 years, with no breaks of longer than 3 months, immediately prior to submitting your application.