Eligibility Requirements

Age

You can apply to join us at 17, however, you must be18 years of age or over before being appointed as a Special Constable. There is no upper age for applying to the Special Constabulary.

Nationality

You must be a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave in the UK.

Residency

Applicants must have resided in the UK for 3 continuous years immediately prior to application. Any period of travel needs less than 1 year. If you have been abroad during the last 3 years while serving in the UK Armed Forces or working for the UK Government, your application will still be considered.

Membership to proscribed organisations or similar groups

The police service strictly prohibits any of their officers or staff from becoming members of organisations whose aims and objectives may contradict the duty to promote race and equality.  If you are, or have been a member of such organisations, you are not eligible to apply. Special Constables are not permitted to take an active part in politics.

Tattoos

All Special Constables are required to comply with the dress code which states that Tattoos are not acceptable if they are particularly prominent, garish and offensive or undermine the dignity and authority of the role. Tattoos on the face or head are not permitted, tattoos on the hands and next will be assessed on a case by case basis.

If you have a tattoo you will be asked to provide a brief description and photographs of the tattoo. You will be required to supply two digital photographs of each tattoo: A distance photo to clearly identify where on the body the tattoo is, and a close up photo to clearly identify the images.

Each photo should not be more than 1MB in size. Photographs need to be uploads and attached to your application form. If you obtain any new tattoos at any point in the recruitment process, you must provide photographs as detailed above to the recruitment team for consideration. Alternatively you may wish to seek prior to obtaining any new tattoos to ensure that it will not affect the outcome of your application.

Cautions and Convictions

Special Constables are not considered under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974. Cautions and Convictions will not necessarily preclude you from becoming a Special Constable. It will depend on the nature and the circumstances of the offence. All applicants will undergo a comprehensive vetting check at the point of pre-employment stage. Please note, failure to disclose cautions or convictions will result in your application being terminated.

Financial position

Checks are carried out as Special Constables have access to privileged and highly sensitive data, which could result in them being vulnerable to corruption. All applicants have their financial status verified. Applicants with outstanding County Court Judgements (CCJ’s) or have been registered bankrupt with outstanding debts, will be rejected.