Joining the force
 

I'm now in the final year of a degree, so I've been thinking about the next step. I've spent the majority of the summer sat working behind a laptop and I'm not entirely sure if I'd be happy forging a career in that manner. Something a little more varied would be better, but I think I'd cope if the right office job did happen to come up.

I've always considered joining the Police, but I was brought up to put my education first, so joining when 18 wasn't an option (although I'll only be 21 when I come out of uni).

I fit all the basic requirements but I'm thinking that my degree would become more or less meaningless if I did take that route, as it gives me no guarantee of being admitted to the 'high potential development scheme', which would be ideal.

It's early days yet, but I've also looked at the possibility of joining CID after the probationary period - is that possible with the HPD scheme, or is it one or the other?

Any thoughts or opinions would be great. :thumb:

You sound like a bright well educated young man who can articulate and use common sense,i doubt you,d fit it:)

I'd think very long and hard before you made any decision, I joined up and served a year, and absolutely hated it at the end.
I'd got to a stage in my life where I got so fed up with all the **** people do to each other that I, stupidly maybe, decided that I wanted to "make a difference".

I left a cushy, well paid, 9-5 job and joined up. The first part was great, learning about the law, three months in training school, meeting loads of different people, then after passing out I was sent to my first station.
This was good, as it was in a rural area there was a good variety of jobs coming in, and you actually had the time to try and sort some of the crap out.

I then got posted to a large town, which was a lot busier. I was on a good shift, and always offered help and was helped in return. Did 12 weeks there, then went to another shift.
All they were concerned with were writing off jobs as soon as possible as undetected, and then harassing local drunks / junkies that they knew would kick off and nick them. Hardly what I wanted to do.

As the "new boy", I spent most of the school holidays nicking 11 year old shoplifters / vandals / general ****es and then ferrying them about until the parents could be found.
Weekends were spent nicking drunks, wasting a good six hours of a shift doing paperwork only to be told that the victim then decided that he didn't want to press charges.
I was also "bullied", which for a 16st 6' 2" bloke is quite an admission to make. I could do nothing right, and constantly got **** for no reason. Some of the others used to be sleeping in the refs room while I was out on foot at 5 in the morning.

This continued, until I had enough and just walked out. The final straw was being sent to a suspected firearms job, singlecrewed, at night. I had no firearms training, and had my trusty ASP for protection. No jobs worth that.
The shifts were really bad, I never saw anyone at home for more than a few hours at a time and when I did I was too knackered to do anything.

I left and worked in Halfords for a while after that while waiting to get back into surveying, **** job, but a big, big improvement on the Bill!

I know the HPDS is different, and you'll go up the ladder quickly, but for me no job is worth feeling fcuked off all the time and permenantly knackered.

Reponse 1 runs were the only good part of the job TBH :D

All this is based on my own experience, and may vary a lot from others on here, so I'd try and look at all aspects before taking the plunge.

join the RAF and then join the SAS

:lol: Are you a careers advisor by any chance AL?;) Its just im missing the correlation between g-star wanting advice on joining the police and you advising he joins the RAF then the SAS:confused: or are you some MOD sneaky beaky trying to make up for manpower shortages in iraq/afghanistan:Suspiciou ?

It sounds like you're putting great stock in your degree - the police don't. Thankfuly, a degree no longer means HPD! That just meant lots of F***wits getting on because they had a degree.

Some of the people I joined with have since left because they were frankly useless. Some had degrees, some didn't. You can either do/hack it, or you can't. The poster above couldn't. You get lots of crap in your 1st 2 years - longer if you don't "fit".

You can get attachments to CID within your probationary period, but generally near the end as they don't want people working with them that don't know their arses from their elbows! I'm talking from a Met perspective, but assume they're all run on a similar framework.

Can you ignore someone asking for help, someone afraid of being assaulted, then threaten to nick him when he persists?

Can you tell lies when cornered, after having made a mistake ?

Can you lie to get a conviction?

Can you prioritise so that an assault with a deadly weapon takes a lower priority than speeding?

Can you swear at members of the public, but threaten to nick them on public order offences when they swear back?

Can you harrass motorists, be rude and abusive to them? Then as above?

If you can do all these things, and more, join the force, you'll fit right in:D

Alcazar

lol im a plumber :D

Its just that he wants to be in a force, so why not the most respected in the world, ie the S.A.S.

Actually, you should join M.I.5 :norty:

I appreciate the insight. :)

I'm not going to rush into making any sort of decision (hence the early research), but it's good to hear from every perspective possible.

Obviously not, hence expressing my concerns in the initial post. I wouldn't have expected to be placed within the scheme purely because of a degree, but I had hoped it would give me a slight advantage over other candidates.

With or without a degree, I am confident in possessing the qualities required, but as you say, the proof will be in the pudding.
Neither the SAS or RAF interest me in the slightest, if I'm honest. Funnily enough, I've looked at MI5, although I suspect it'd be more mundane than what you see on Spooks. ;)

Having a degree doesn't count at all. It used to be requirement for for HPD but has now been completely removed. I guy I worked with was on it and he hasn't even got a GCSE above a C. He's since left though.....

I have a degree and it wasn't even mentioned as the HPD isn't pushed on you or even slightly 'sold' to recruits. I don't even recall being asked to provide my certificate...............

Nice!!

Can you face 10 drunk males thretening to kill you because you asked them to leave an address?

Can you run towards danger when everyone else is running away?

Can you take criticism and stick from bigoted idiots like Alcazar and still carry on doing your job?

Can you train and struggle but pass courses to make you a better stronger person?

Can you strive for years to achieve something you really want (CID)?

Etc. Etc. Etc.

Have you asked on the police discussion forum - five o or something? Sorry I can't remember the link. Friendly crowd when I wanted some help/advice.

Ever thought about becoming a traffic warden instead?...... that way you could REALLY piss loads of people off?.......... :thumb:

Is your degree in stupidity........... if so a career in the police sounds right up your street... ;)

:lol1: Pete ,you are a **** but sometimes a funny one:lol1:

Stick the prick on your ignore list, as I have.

Why would you listen to a bin man from a place with the word cu*t in the middle of it?

:lol:

Just a guess, but do you have a bloke called Evolunatic, sorry Evolution on the same list?

Na.

Just thingy. Is the bloke you mention a **** as well? :D

It certainly is, he supports Man U ;)

Chris 5-0, and fatherpierre: a couple of pigs grunting.

Insulting me will NOT change the FACT that the pigs I've had dealings with, AND my friends and family have had dealings with, ARE the twats , not me.
Sorry guys, snouts back in troughs, back to bullying, enforcing and generally bum-licking HM Governemnt.

Oh sorry, :rolleyes: I forgot............you HAVE to obey orders, don't you? :rolleyes:

Alcazar

BTW: Fp, if I WAS a binman, why would that make my opinion any less worthwhile? Are you a snob as well?

I wish I could read what you've typed.

The ignore option stops me, though.

Can't be working too well............you ignore me so well you post back to me seconds after I post:D

Alcazar

Nice weather for the time of year.

A few of my family have served in the Police Force,including my Dad who retired after 33 years as a Chief Inspector...even he didn't have much time for 'modern' coppers!

If I were ever to get burgled,think I'd call Interflora before dialling 999;)

But you wouldn't.

You'd need the crime reference number for your insurance co.........

LOL: read that one Fp????

Alcazar

.........you forgot to say, "and that's about all you'd get from the modern-day police force!!" LOL:D

Alcazar

................

Lost for words?

Why not nick me on a public order offence?

LOL Alcazar

When you empty my bin on Wednesday, can you please not drop stuff on my driveway?

Your £10 tip at Xmas is in jeapody.

Just FYI, when you have someone on ignore it shows a little horizontal line with their name.....you know they have posted, you just don't get to see what :luxhello:

(unless you click on that little line and then opt to show...which would be strange :cuckoo: )