Police officer
You'll keep communities safe by investigating crime and helping people in need.
Also known as: policewoman, policeman, police constable
About the job
A day in the life – Police officer
What it's like
As a police officer, you'll be responsible for upholding the law, protecting life and property, preventing crime and maintaining public order.
This job is less about formal qualifications and more focussed on the skills you already have. For example, someone who's a good listener, works well with others and stays calm when things get tough will make a fantastic police officer. You'll develop these skills from the jobs you do, the community you live in, the people you mix with and the values you set yourself.
As a police officer, you'll be out and about, making sure things are fair for everyone. If something goes wrong, you'll be on hand to figure it out. Sometimes, that might mean you have to make arrests. You'll even go to court to give evidence about what you saw while you were on duty.
You’ll get thorough training, which will show you how to handle anything that comes your way. So, you'll be confident, supported and ready to make a real difference to people and communities across Scotland.
Once you complete your initial training, you'll do a trial period as an officer. This is called probation and lasts two years. Your probation period is classed as a Modern Apprenticeship in Policing.
Your tasks might include:
responding to calls for help from the public
investigating crimes, searching for missing people and making arrests
interviewing suspects, preparing crime reports and taking statements from complainers or witnesses
taking people into custody and processing them
helping during emergencies: when there are fires or storms, police officers will help people get to safety
giving evidence in court about incidents you've dealt with while on duty
Exploring different police specialism roles
After your training, you may get the chance to specialise in a certain field. For example, you could work in:
Criminal Investigation Department (CID)
Proactive team (drugs)
Dog branch (dogs)
Mounted branch (horses)
Support unit (assist with going through reinforced doors, deal with dangerous groups of people, attend sieges and help find missing people)
Sex offender policing unit (managing offenders proactively in the community, in prisons and in hospitals)
Traffic
Firearms
Air support (helicopter)
Explore more information about this job
Here are some useful links to learn more about this career:
Police Scotland Recruitment – information about joining the police service
Disclosure Scotland – more about the Protecting Vulnerable Groups Scheme
Police Scotland YouTube video – find out what skills you need to be a police officer
Police Scotland YouTube video – listen to someone's journey from leaving school to becoming a police officer
Like the sound of this career?
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Police officer'
Select qualification level(s)
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Many jobs can be done in lots of different industries. We've highlighted the ones we think are most important for this job.
Top skills
Skills are things you're good at. Whether you know what yours are or not, everyone has them!
It's useful to learn which ones are important in a job so you know the areas you need to brush up on. It can also help you work out if you're suited to a career.
Meta skills
Here are some of the meta skills you'll need to do this job.
- making decisions
- ethical
- attention to detail
- empathising
- problem solving
- verbal communication
- mediating
- cooperating
- resilience
Your skills are important
Our unique skillsets are what make us stand out from the crowd. Learn about each skill in depth and discover what employers look for in your applications and interviews.
Getting in
Explore each section to find more information about getting into this career.
Colleges and universities will list subjects you'll need for entry to a course. Some useful subjects include:
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Modern Studies
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People and Society
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PE (Physical education)
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Skills for Work: Uniformed and Emergency Services
Work
You don't need any formal qualifications to become a police officer. You can get straight into the role once you've completed the application process and done 12 to 16 weeks of training at the Scottish Police College.
If your application is accepted, you'll need to pass the Standard Entrance Test (PSET) which consists of papers on:
language
numeracy
information-handling
Next, you'll do a multi-stage fitness test (commonly known as the 'bleep test'). You'll also do more bleep tests during your probation period.
If you pass the bleep test, you'll be invited to an assessment centre for teamwork exercises. If successful at the assessment centre, you'll do an interview. This interview will be competency-based, and the competencies are published on the Police Scotland website.
You'll also do a medical examination. Then, Police Scotland will carry out thorough background checks, sometimes called 'vetting'.
University
You don't need a degree to become a police officer. But studying relevant subjects at university boosts your application and helps improve your legal knowledge. You could study:
Policing and Criminology
Criminal Justice
Criminology
College
Getting qualifications at college, such as an HNC or HND, look great on your police officer application. You may want to consider Police Studies as it's designed to teach you some of the skills you'll need to build a policing career.
Become a Police Scotland Youth Volunteer
Are you a teenager who's happy to give some time to your community and national events? As a Police Scotland Youth Volunteer, you'll work alongside adult volunteers and serving officers in your local area. This volunteering will help you understand how policing works in Scotland.
All police officers must be at least 18 years old when you start training. But you can apply six months before your 18th birthday.
Police officers in Scotland must be a British, European Union or Commonwealth citizen, or have permission to stay in the UK indefinitely and have lived in the UK for at least three years before your application.
You need to be physically fit and have good eyesight.
All police officers must have a full UK driving licence.
Find the right course for you
Browse courses in Scotland related to 'Police officer'
