The Recruitment Process

The recruitment process to become a Special Constable consists of several stages, as follows:

• Online application form – you must complete and submit the form
• Initial application sift – we will check that you need the initial eligibility criteria
• Online assessment – you must complete the national assessment provided by the College of Policing, which tests that your capabilities, strengths and behaviours are aligned to the role of a Special, and consists of a situational judgement test (SJT)and a behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ)
• Interview – we will conduct an interview with you, lasting about 45mins, which assesses your values aligned to the standards and expectations of a Special (as set out in the Competencies and Values Framework (CVF))
• Pre-employment checks – which includes you providing proof of ID and address, undertaking a fitness test (5.4 bleep test), undertaking a medical, providing biometrics (fingerprints and DNA), and us conducting background vetting checks and references

At the end of each stage of the recruitment process, you will be notified whether or not you have been successful and therefore eligible to proceed to the next stage.

Candidates are required to successfully pass every stage of the process to be appointed as a Special.

All correspondences will be sent via email (so ensure you check your inbox, and your junk folder).

Reasonable adjustments and accommodations

You will need to advise if you require any reasonable adjustments during your recruitment process (eg disability, learning difficulties, pregnancy, dyslexia, religion or belief, menopause, injury etc).  Any requests for reasonable adjustments will be considered and arranged where possible.  This information will be treated with the utmost confidence.  You will need to let us know if you require any additional support at the earliest part of your application.

Timescales

Every application is different, but it should normally take around 12 weeks to progress through all stages of the recruitment process.

The recruitment process can be delayed by not providing complete and accurate information on your application form.

Any non-attendance or delay in attending appointments at any stage of the process may result in you not meeting a specific intake date and your application to join the Specials may be put on hold or potentially be withdrawn.

We have four intakes for Specials Constables scheduled for 24/25, with the following timescales:

*Training commences

Further Information

If you have any general queries about becoming a Special Constable, please email us.