The recruitment process

To apply for the role of a police constable you must tell us all the initial information we need to know about you by completing an online application form.

Eligibility checks are in two parts. The first covers your educational qualifications. The second includes some of your personal details.

Educational eligibility

To apply you’ll need to have:

• Level 3 qualification (two A Levels grade A*- D) or the equivalent at point of application or have the equivalent relevant experience.
• OR a qualification gained outside England and Wales considered by the UK National Recognition Information Centre to be Level 3. A certificate of comparison must be submitted with your application form for any qualifications gained outside of the United Kingdom.

Personal eligibility

To apply you'll need to say 'yes' to:

• I am a National of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland OR I am a Commonwealth citizen or Foreign National with leave to enter or remain in the UK for an indefinite period
• I have lived in the UK for three continuous years immediately before my application I am 17 years of age or over at the point of application and 18 years prior to commencing the programme (there is no upper limit)
• I have a full UK manual driving licence
• I have tattoos on my face, hands and neck but these are slight in appearance and inoffensive. (Please note that all face, hand and neck tattoos will be reviewed by Chief Officers prior to your application being progressed). I also do not have any tattoos visible/on my body which may be considered discriminatory, violent, intimidating, aggressive, related to death, homophobic, related to nudity, offensive and/ or indicate attitudes or views inconsistent with the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Behaviour
• I have declared a criminal record if I have one. (You must tell us about any previous convictions or cautions including those spent, fixed penalty notices, traffic offences or any involvement with the police.) including any that received no further action.
• I am not a registered bankrupt, subject to county court judgements or Independent Voluntary Agreements
• I can pass a fitness test consisting of a 15m multi-stage shuttle run (bleep test) to level 5.4 (3 minutes and 40 secs)
• I am prepared to work shifts and accept postings to serve anywhere in the Cheshire area
• I am dedicated to providing a service to the people of Cheshire and am prepared to uphold the Police Service Statement of Common Purpose and Values
• I am not a current or previous member of an extremist group or proscribed terrorist organisation or group
• I have no annual leave planned during the first 20 weeks of initial training and understand I cannot take any leave during this initial training period. Candidates must be committed to the start date they have applied for.
• Having watched this College of Policing video covering the Online Assessment Process (on YouTube)

If your circumstances change…

If there are any significant changes during your application such as permanent partner, new residents at your home, change of address, arrests, cautions or convictions or association with criminals you should email us on [email protected].
The Standards required of a police officer are laid out nationally in the Code of Ethics.

To prepare for your assessment…

• Study the documents we'll send you.
• Read the College of Policing Competence and Values Framework and think about how you might demonstrate these.

This series of modules explores the skills and values that every police constable needs. No prior policing experience is needed to complete the exercises.

Importantly, to take part you'll need a computer or other device with a webcam, microphone, keyboard and a reliable internet connection.

National Sift

The National sift is designed to allow you to demonstrate your suitability for entry into the next stage of the process.

It consists of two exercises: the situational judgement test (SJT) and a behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ).

These exercises will assess capabilities, strengths and behaviours that are important within the role you have applied for.

The process takes 30-40 minutes to complete. If you pass this, you’ll be invited to complete the Online Assessment Centre and move on to:

Online Assessment Centre

The Online Assessment Centre is split into three exercises, a Competency-Based Video Interview, the Written Exercise and the Briefing Exercise.

The Competency-Based Video Interview

You will be asked a series of questions about how you have dealt with specific situations in the past. This is your opportunity to provide some examples of the key competencies and values that are important for police constables. You can use examples from both your work and personal life. These will be presented as text on screen. A pre-recorded video of an assessor will also appear, and the questions will be read out to you.

For each question, you will have one minute (60 seconds) of thinking time to consider the question and prepare your answer. You will then have five minutes (300 seconds) to record your answer. Nothing that you say during the thinking time will be recorded. Once you have answered the first question, you will then move on to the next question and progress through until you have completed all five.

The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:

• Courage
• Public service
• Respect and empathy
• We take ownership
• We are innovative and open-minded

This exercise should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.

The Written Exercise
You’ll take on the role of a police constable who is required to complete an urgent written task for your line manager. You will be provided with four items of information to help you with this task. In your response, please only use the information provided and do not add or invent any information.

The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:

• respect and empathy
• we analyse critically
• we support and inspire
• we collaborate

This exercise should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.

The Briefing Exercise

Again, you’ll take on the role of a police constable. This time you’ll have responsibility for dealing with some issues presented to you. You will be tasked with providing a verbal response to a number of questions in relation to these issues. (At the start of the exercise you’ll be provided with materials to help you prepare your answer).

The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:

• public service
• we are emotionally aware
• we take ownership
• we are innovative and open-minded

This exercise should take approximately 60 minutes to complete.

Successful candidates will be invited to an in-person interview.

The interview panel will consist of trained operational officers and police staff representatives. The interview will last between 30 and 45 minutes.

The interview will explore your understanding of the College of Policing Competence and Values Framework.

This will help our team decide your suitability for the role of a police constable with Cheshire Constabulary.

If your interview is successful…

We’ll let you know by email through our Oleeo recruitment system and explain the next steps. Please note that depending on the volume of candidates per recruitment window, we may not always be able to keep your application on hold through the recruitment process.

Our interviews are always fair

We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to attracting, supporting and developing a workforce representative of the communities we serve.

Throughout the recruitment process, the members of staff and assessors involved are trained to the highest standard, ensuring that the principles of the Equality Act are adhered to. Panel members will all have received an interview briefing as well as training in Standards of Practice to ensure fairness and legitimacy of our process.

Do you need any special arrangements?

For example, would you like us to take into account a disability, dyslexia, learning difficulties, injury, pregnancy, menopause, religion or belief?

Any requests for reasonable adjustments will be considered and arranged where possible and treated in the utmost confidence.

For further information please email [email protected] as early as possible.

Please note: offers of employment could be delayed

Candidates who are successful at interview may be given a conditional offer of employment immediately. Or, depending on intake numbers, that offer may be put on hold until a later date.

For this reason, we recommend that you don’t give notice to your current employer until you’re sure that we have made you a firm offer of employment.

All conditional offers following interview are subject to the completion of pre-employment checks.

Important: any non-attendance or delay in attending appointments for this stage of the process may result in you not meeting a specific intake date. Your application to join Cheshire Constabulary could then be put on hold or withdrawn.

A conditional offer of employment with us is always subject to these checks. They must be completed successfully within an agreed timescale:

• Fitness test - This must show that you have the physical fitness needed to be a police officer. If necessary you will be offered 2 further attempts within a reasonable timeframe (failure to pass first time may cause delays in your application). Failure to pass on a third attempt will mean your application is withdrawn.
• Medical tests - These comprise of a GP Declaration form (fees will be incurred if further information is required), an eye-sight test (optician fee payable by applicant).
• BMI Screening - height and weight measurements will be taken to ensure you meet the required standards on BMI. Guidelines on police recruitment in indicate you should have a BMI of between 18 and 30. Cases between 30 and 35 will be reviewed on an individual case by case basis. Cases above 35 are not likely to pass the screening process.
• Drugs Test - you will be asked to provide a hair sample at one of our pre-employment days which will be analysed by our third party provider. Please note that hair samples are the only sample we test.
• DNA and fingerprints - We hold this biometric identification data for all our officers.
• Final vetting/security checks & Home Visit - You will be subject to vetting checks and we will also arrange a visit to your home during the pre-employment period.
• References - satisfactory references must be obtained from you current and previous employer or education establishment over the most recent five year period.
  
  Candidates must successfully pass each step to be considered for the next stage of the recruitment process. The decision making process uses a linear assessment when progressing candidates. Please note that timeframes are predicted and can overrun in exceptional circumstances.

If you progress from a conditional offer of employment to a formal offer of employment after your pre-employment checks, it’s time to join the Cheshire Constabulary family.

20 weeks initial training

You’ll start your training at our Headquarters in Winsford.

Throughout the 20 weeks you will undertake a maximum of four assessments, including a knowledge exam around week 10 and 19 as well as an assessed interview and practical role play. You will also complete several assessments leading up to these. This is to ensure that you have the knowledge as well as the ability to apply your knowledge and learning into practical policing scenarios.

On successful completion of your initial training, you will work towards achieving your Independent Patrol Status by joining a Local Policing Unit. You will be supported by a tutor constable for a number of weeks before allowing you to work independently where you will complete a mix of response policing and work within the Area Investigation Team (AIT).

The Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) training is a national programme led by the College of Policing that’s designed to bring Police Probationer training up to date right across the UK.

We will continue to assess you as a student officer throughout your full two-year probationary period.

Cheshire Constabulary reserves the right to retract an offer at any stage of the application process.