Police Officer Recruitment FAQ Becoming a Police Officer with Dyfed Powys Police Q. What geographical area does Dyfed Powys Police cover? A. Dyfed Powys Police area is constituted of the four unitary authorities of Carmarthenshire, Ceredigion, Pembrokeshire and Powys. It has a population of over 488,000 and covers a land mass of over half of Wales. The area is mainly rural with small centres of population in towns such as Aberystwyth, Llanelli, Carmarthen, Newtown, Brecon and Haverfordwest. Q. Will I get to choose which area I get posted to? A. You will be asked to provide your two preferences for posting within the online application form. Please note that you must live within 30 miles or 1 hours travelling time of the station you are posted to. Q. If I live just outside the border of Dyfed Powys Police, could I be appointed as a Police Officer in Dyfed Powys? A. Yes, although you must live within 30 miles or 1 hours travelling time of the station you are posted to at the time of appointment. Q. Am I able to apply through the medium of Welsh? A. Yes, Dyfed Powys Police will support all applicants who wish to apply through the medium of welsh. All stages of the Recruitment Process can be conducted bilingually apart from the National Police SEARCH® Assessment Centre.

Eligibility Criteria Q. What are the eligibility requirements to become a new police constable? A. All applicants will have to comply with the initial eligibility criteria. These relate to age, nationality, and conviction records requirements etc. You are advised to check whether you are eligible to apply to become a new police constable BEFORE you complete your application. Our pre-application questionnaire will help find out if you are eligible to apply for the role of Police Constable. All candidates must have achieved and complied with all aspects of the recruitment and selection process before being offered a start date. Q. How old do I have to be to apply to the police? A. You must be 18 or over before you can apply to be a new Police Constable. The upper age limit is, typically, 57. This is three years less than the compulsory retirement age of 60 and allows for the two year probationary period and the expectation of a minimum of one year of service following probation. Q. I turn 18 in August but the closing date of application is July. Can I still apply? A. No, you must be 18 when the application is submitted. Q. What is the nationality criteria for new police constables? A. To be eligible for appointment you must be a British Citizen or a member of the European Community or other states in the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway or Lichtenstein). Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals are also eligible but only if they are resident in the UK, free of restrictions. If you are a Commonwealth citizen or a foreign national you must provide proof that you have no restrictions on your stay in the UK. You should attach a copy of your passport to your application, which shows that your stay is free of restrictions. Other documentary evidence of your status may be required.

Q. I don’t have a driving licence. Can I still apply? A. Yes. You don’t need to have a full driving licence to apply but you will need to learn to drive and pass your test at your own expense prior to appointment to be able to work in Dyfed Powys Police due to the geographic and rural location. Q. Is there any height restriction to join the police? A. No. Q. Can I become a Police Officer if I have tattoos? A. Tattoos are not a bar to being accepted but their nature, size and location will be taken into account. If you have tattoos on your face, neck, forearms or hands you need to declare it on your application form and provide photographs of the tattoos as requested. Q. I am a serving Special Constable / PCSO, can I transfer across to be a police officer? A. No, you would have to go through the entire recruitment process like all other applicants in order to qualify as a Police Officer and must meet the stated minimum eligibility criteria. Q. If I have been abroad serving in the British Armed Forces or on UK Government Service can I apply? A. If you are currently serving in the British Armed Forces or UK Government overseas and can demonstrate residency by confirming that you have lived in the UK for a total of 3 of the last 6 years by discounting any periods of time where you have been deployed overseas, then you are still eligible to apply.

Vetting Q. What type of previous convictions will affect my application? A. The nature and the circumstances of the offence will be considered carefully. All convictions, including traffic offences, must be disclosed on your application. You will need to provide full details to assist our Vetting Department in making a decision. Failure to disclose this information means your application will almost certainly be rejected as this would be viewed as an integrity issue. Your application will be rejected if you have received a conviction or caution for the following offences at any age: • Treason • Murder • Manslaughter/Culpable Homicide • Rape • Kidnapping/Abduction • Incest/Intercourse with a child under 13 • Buggery/Sodomy with a person under 16 years • Offences under the Sexual Offences Act 2003 punishable by life or more than ten years imprisonment • Hostage taking, hi-jacking or torture • Involvement in espionage, terrorism, sabotage or any actions to overthrow/undermine parliamentary democracy by political, industrial or violent means or association with any organisation advocating such activities • Any driving offences involving ‘causing death by’ • Firearms offences • Any monitored hate crime (as defined by the ACPO Practise Guide) • Domestic Violence offences Your application is likely to be rejected unless there are exceptional compelling circumstances if you have a conviction or caution at any age (unless stated) for the following: • Violence related offences • Dishonesty related offences

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Drugs offences

Q. Do I have to declare if I was arrested but not charged? A. Yes, you must declare if you have ever been subject of a criminal investigation whether or not this led to a prosecution. Failure to make such declarations will lead to your application being rejected. Q. Do I need to declare traffic offences on my application form? A. Yes, you must declare all offences including penalty notices. Your application will not be automatically rejected for minor offences; consideration will be given to repeat offending, behaviour, age, the actual offence committed and length of time since the offence. Q. If somebody in my family has previous convictions, will that affect my application? A. Each set of circumstances will be looked at on an individual basis. Q. Can I apply if I have County Court Judgements (CCJs) against me? A. Yes, as long as the County Court Judgements have been discharged. Q. Can I apply if I have been declared bankrupt? A. Applicants who have been registered as bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have been discharged will only be considered after three years from discharge of the debt.

Recruitment Process Q. What are the stages of the recruitment process? A. The main stages of the application process are: Application form, Interview, National Police SEARCH® Assessment Centre, Job Related Fitness Test, Biometric Assessment and Drugs Testing, Medical and Background Checks. Q. I have an ongoing application to another force. Can I still apply? A. No. You will have to withdraw from the other force and go through the recruitment process again with Dyfed Powys. Q. Can any adjustments be made if I have a specific learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia? A. Candidates with a specific learning difficulty e.g. dyslexia can request reasonable adjustments to the assessment process. Candidates are required to submit documentary evidence compiled by a qualified professional e.g. Chartered Psychologist. The report / assessment should have been done since your 16th birthday. This is reviewed by the College of Policing who will make recommendations regarding the reasonable adjustment. Q. What does the Police SEARCH® Assessment Centre consist of? A. The Home Office national recruiting standards assessment day lasts approximately five hours and consists of (in no specific order): • a structured 20 minute interview – candidates are asked to give examples of past experiences to show their competence in four different competency areas. 5 minutes is allowed to respond to each of the four questions. In addition, effective communication will be assessed throughout the interview • two written exercises - two exercises of 20 minutes duration • role-play/interactive exercises - four exercises split into five-minute parts. The first is the preparation phase and the second the activity phase where the role actor will be met • Police Initial Recruitment Tests (PIRT) - Numerical Reasoning which tests mathematical skills and lasts 12 minutes and Verbal Logical Reasoning which tests English skills and lasts 25 minutes On successful completion of these, a further date will be arranged for you to complete the other recruitment stages.

Q. How long does the recruitment process take? A. It can take between four and 18 months from when we receive your application to the time that you start your initial training. Q. If I am unsuccessful, how long do I need to wait between applications? A. You may re-apply after 6-months from the time you were notified of the outcome of your application. However, you should consider the reason for rejection to ensure a further application will not be rejected on the same grounds. Q. What is biometric vetting and what happens to the samples I give? A. Biometric vetting checks will be undertaken on those candidates who have reached the stage of being conditionally offered an appointment. Subsequent to a conditional offer being made, a fingerprint and DNA sample will be taken and checks made against the appropriate databases. The purpose of the searches is to determine whether:• The individual has come to police attention; • If so, whether that was under the identity being used for the application; and • If the individual is linked to any outstanding crime scene marks or stains. Only one set of fingerprints and DNA sample will be required and after checking and successful appointment, the DNA profile and fingerprints will be held on the respective Police Elimination Database. If you are not appointed, your fingerprints, DNA sample and DNA profile and all copies and records will be destroyed immediately. Q. What does the drugs test involve? A. A hair sample will be used for testing purposes for alcohol, drug and or substance abuse.

Terms & Conditions Q. What is the salary for Police Constables? A. For Dyfed Powys, a Police Constable will be appointed at a starting Salary of £19,578 and £22,668* * £22,668 will only be paid to serving Special Constables and Police Community Support Officers on appointment as Police Constables who have completed the required minimum service in role There may be extra pay for working overtime. Q. Will I be expected to work night shifts? A. Yes, all police officers work on a rota system which includes both day and night shifts, including weekends and Public/Bank holidays. Q. How long is the probationary period? A. The probationary period for Police Constables is 2 years. Your ability to perform the duties of a Police Officer will be continually assessed during this period. Q. How long do I have to be a Police Officer before I can join specialist departments such as the Dog Section? A. Once your probation period has successfully been completed, normally 2 years, you are free to apply for specialist posts. Q. Can I work part time? A. You will have to work full time during training however you may apply for part time working once this is completed. It should be noted there is no guarantee of part time working being granted. Requests are considered based on operational need.

Health & Fitness Q. Is fitness important? A. Yes. Candidates will undertake a fitness test as part of the recruitment process. Q. What does the Fitness Test involve? A. There is only one element to the fitness test and you must pass this before you can be appointed. Endurance In this element you will be asked to run to and from along a 15-metre track in time with a series of bleeps. If you arrive at the end line before the bleep sounds you need to wait for the bleep before resuming running and adjust your speed. The timing between bleeps is slow at first but the bleep becomes faster as the test progresses and it becomes more difficult to keep up with the required speed. You will run until you can no longer keep up with the set pace. You will need to reach a minimum of four shuttles at level five to pass. Q. What training should I do for the Fitness Test? A. You should improve your stamina. For example, you could take part in sporting activities which last 30 minutes or more and get you out of breath such as football, netball, or squash. You can also make rapid improvements by engaging in activities which creates large aerobic demand such as jogging, cycling, swimming and rowing. Try jogging for 20 minutes or more and as you improve, try to increase the distance covered in that time. Alternatively jog a set distance from home and back again and try to reduce the time taken to cover the distance. You should exercise three times a week for 20 minutes but if you are not used to exercise you should start with gentle sessions lasting no more than 15 minutes. Q. Can I retake the Job-Related Fitness Test (JRFT)? A. You are allowed three attempts at the JRFT per application (one test and two retests) Q. I have a medical condition. Can I still apply? A. Yes. All applicants are assessed according to their individual circumstances and with regard to the relevant disability discrimination legislation. Q. I wear glasses or contact lenses. Can I still apply? A. Yes. Applicants will have their eyesight tested at the medical assessment stage. The standard you need to meet, either with or without spectacles or contact lenses, is: Distance Vision 6/12 or better with either your right or left eye 6/6 with both eyes together if you wear spectacles or contact lenses you also need to reach 6/36 without your spectacles or lenses. Near Vision 6/9 with both eyes together (aided) If in doubt, ask your optician if you meet the above criteria. Q. Can I still apply if I’m colour blind? A. Severe colour vision deficiencies (monochromats) are not acceptable. Other colour vision defects may be accepted with conditions. Q. Is my health taken into account? A. We welcome applications from people with disabilities and we will make every effort to make reasonable adjustments if required. If you are successful at the selection process you will be invited to complete and return a medical questionnaire. You will also undertake a medical examination and eyesight test.

Dyfed Powys Police requires all officers to undertake response driving (driving at high speeds above the speed limit). As such you will be assessed against the more rigorous group two Driver and Vehicle Licensing Agency (DVLA) medical and vision standards as well as the generic police medical standards during your medical. Q. I am overweight, does that mean that I can't be a police officer? A. Not necessarily but if your Body Mass Index is outside the normal range of 18 to 30, we are likely to require further information, investigation and assessment to assess your suitability. Q. What happens in a medical examination? A. The medical examination will comprise of 45 minutes with the Occupational Health Nurse Advisor, prior to an examination with the Force Medical Advisor which will take approximately 15 minutes. The Nurse looks at: • Previous medical history • Height and Weight • Urine testing • Hearing test • Lung function • Eye test including colour blindness – applicants must be able to read the first two lines of an opticians chart unaided. Q. I have diabetes – can I still apply? A. Yes as long as your diabetes is under control. Your doctor will need to supply a medical report for clarification. Q. Can I claim expenses for attending the fitness test and medical? A. We are not able to reimburse you for any expenses incurred as part of the recruitment process.