Traditionally, you’d need police experience to become a detective
constable. However, we’re now giving people the chance to join directly
into the role. It’s a huge change, and we’re the first police service in
the country to offer this exciting opportunity.
It’s also a real challenge, but we are sure, you’ll find it’s incredibly
rewarding, as you help make London safer, serve our local communities,
and strive to achieve the right outcome for victims and their families.
The pages within this section will outline the responsibilities, pay,
benefits and training that you’ll receive and provide details on how to
apply.
Detective constables are vital to investigations. In this interesting
and exciting role, you will be working on varied investigations, which
could include serious assaults, domestic violence, fraud, burglary,
robbery and knife crime. You could be working to safeguard a child or
adult and you could be pushing a case through the courts, ensuring that
you get the right outcomes for the victim’s family and making your
community safer.
Being a detective is all about uncovering the truth, while identifying
and managing any risks. You’ll do this by analysing evidence, talking to
witnesses and building trust within the community. You will talk to lots
of different people, and have the compassion and skills to deal with
difficult situations.
Apply: Metropolitan Police
Training & Profiles
As a trainee detective constable, you will start a two years’
probationary period with 18 weeks intensive training. Your training will
include familiarisation visits to operational police buildings and later
working within a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and
safeguarding teams – putting your initial learning into practice -
before being assigned to a borough where you’ll continue to develop the
skills and knowledge required to become a detective constable.
You will be required to complete the National Investigators Exam and
Detective training course and continue to work towards becoming a
substantive detective constable. All of this will be achieved within
your first two years, after which you will be successfully confirmed
within the rank of constable.
Application Procedure
This year, we’re giving people without police experience the opportunity
to join as trainee detective constables. But we’re not just looking for
anyone. We want people from all backgrounds, who have the desire and
commitment to help protect London’s communities from crime.
That's why we have a thorough application and assessment process, which
is designed to help us select the right people.
Please make sure that you're fully aware of the whole process and meet
the eligibility criteria before you apply.
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Met Police jobs on graduatejobs.com.
Can I apply with previous conviction?
Ideally, you shouldn't
have a criminal conviction or cautions record. If you do have one,
acceptance will depend on the age and nature of the offence. The Met is
unable to state whether your convictions record will affect your
application before you apply. This will be determined from the full and
confidential information provided during the recruitment and selection
process.
If you don't tell us about any cautions, investigations or criminal
convictions that may be linked to you at an early stage, your
application could be refused simply because you weren't being open and
upfront. It might have been accepted if you were. So if in doubt,
disclose.
Are there fitness requirements?
While you don't need to be an
Olympic athlete to be a trainee detective constable, you must be able to
cope with the physical and mental demands of the job. Certain medical
conditions may prevent this.
What about tattoos?
Anyone who has a tattoo which could be
offensive to any religion or belief, or is in any way discriminatory,
violent or intimidating, will not be accepted. Tattoos on the face,
visible above a collar line or on the hands are not acceptable for any
role within the Met.
Who can apply?
You will need to have lived in London within
the geographical area covered by the Met for at least three of the last
six years to be eligible to apply.
Recruiting new trainee detective constables with a knowledge and
understanding of London (through living in the capital) will enable more
effective operational policing through better understanding of local
issues, a deeper knowledge of local communities and a more direct
understanding of the diversity of cultures.
If you've been abroad serving in the armed forces or working for the UK
government, you can apply if you've lived in a London borough for three
of the last six years you've lived in the UK. Discounting any periods of
time where you have been deployed overseas or across the UK. We'll only
check that you meet these requirements if we make a conditional job
offer.
