Police staff

When most people think of the Police they automatically think of Police Officers or Police Community Support Officers as they are out in the community in uniform.

But working for Cheshire Constabulary is anything but uniform.

For all those Police Officers and PCSOs out on the street, there are a cast of thousands supporting them in the background.

The whole process of a person becoming Police Officer is reliant on a host of police staff, from organising and hosting the familiarisation seminars to assessment and training to uniform fitting.

Police Staff run the finance and human resources departments as well as forensics, photography, design, communication, information technology and estates. They also staff the emergency 999 call centre and the non-emergency number at 101.

All investigators, from crime scene to financial are Police Staff, as well as those in the Department of Criminal Justice that link into key areas of the Criminal Justice system, from vetting officers to Witness and Victim care officers.

These roles can offer traditional career paths and you can gain the benefit of making Cheshire Be Safe and Feel Safe.

Many of these roles are based at Force Headquarters in Winsford but Police Staff also work in the three Basic Command Units of the county - Northern, Eastern and Western. Police Staff here offer the key support for the various operational functions carried out by PCs and PCSOs.

Police Staff also help achieve the key aim for Cheshire Constabulary of public confidence by providing excellent customer service to all those that come into contact with the Police.

The opportunities open at Cheshire Police are vast and we welcome all members of the community to come join the police family at Cheshire.

What kind of qualifications will I need?

For an entry level type role we are generally looking for NVQ2 level, or equivalent - which is essentially 5 GCSEs at Grade A-C.

All roles state the specific qualification level required, and indicate the previous experience that is also typically required of the successful candidate. You must as a minimum meet the qualifications and experience in order to get past the initial short listing stage.

What kind of development opportunities will I get?

Cheshire Constabulary aims to provide development opportunities for internal staff, and therefore any role that is grades Scale 4 to SO2, wages of approximately £18,000 - £31,500, will be advertised internally only first to maximise staff development opportunities.

The roles that are advertised externally are mainly at entry or professional level or they require some specialist knowledge or skills.

For roles in specialised fields, Cheshire Constabulary will provide the training required but background knowledge helps. For example, a Forensic Science degree or studies in science can help if you want to become a Crime Scene Investigator, but you would still need to attend a course set up by the Police.