Advice for aspiring police detective

[Tangotwister]

DS is at Cambridge, reading History, and wants to join the Met Police when he graduates (not for 2 years) on their detective graduate entry pathway. He is absolutely committed and won’t be talked out of it (to the extent that he hasn’t got a plan B if the police don’t take him!). Can anyone advise what work experience he should seek to get in the Uni holidays to enhance his CV? Internships in the corporate world etc don’t really cut it!

@Swansandcustard my DS’ long-held dream is to join the police. He is doing his utmost to further that aim. I am sorry you are disillusioned and am sure you have your reasons. However, this thread is about how to further my DS’s aims, not put him off. I politely request you now desist

@Tangotwister
The best we can all hope for is that younger recruits come along and change the culture. There’s clearly a lot of work to do! Good luck to the young people who will do this for all of us.

My son joined the police just over a year ago . He joined after hus A levels. I ( think) he's on some sort of apprenticeship with them I will have to ask him what it's called so I can be more clear and will post back later.

But I know he went to police uni for 3 months after that he went to do practice side of things working as a police officer. He does arrests searches , welfare, he's been to a few dead body's sadly. Also police can do a 24hr section on people that are presenting with mental health issues. He sometimes has to stand guard at the hospital for hours. He does most things . He has to go back to college every few months or so.

Although it's a type of apprenticeship he's actually on just over 35k

It is very tiring and there's alot of over time. He does 9 hour days which often end up more he would have say 2x 7am-4pm 2x2pm-10pm then 2x 10pm-7am. Its very rare he gets to leave on time. He them gets 4 rest days but that sometimes ends up being 3.

TizerorFizz I think that may well be happening. Part of my great surprise at DS3's news that he was accepting the offer from the Met was that he is - in every possible respect - light years away from the culture that has been so strongly criticised in recent reports and in the media. Perhaps he's a lone wolf but I doubt it. He's very sociable and friendly and seems to like a good number of his peers on the course, so I can only assume that they're like minded. The Met doesn't seem to be shouting the warm welcome to racists and misogynists that it once did. Precisely for that reason, I'm assuming it could be a particularly rewarding time to enter. Perhaps that's wishful thinking.

And to Swansandcustard: no doubt you and your partner have perfectly legitimate reasons for your disillusionment. All I can say is that having worked in the City, and at a Magic Circle firm, there were always plenty of people there wanting an escape route and finding themselves horribly downbeat about their choice despite it being an apparently glitzy job. You'll find disillusioned people in every walk of life, while others thrive in those exact same jobs. That's how it's always been and no doubt how it always will be. You know, people are different. One of my sons is a doctor (new registrar sort of level) and thrives on it while others are seriously fed up and heading for sunnier climes. I bet there's literally no career where everyone is content.

This is great for your son but just reinforces that it is not what you know, but who you know.

The Met is a disgraceful organisation so hopefully they will be working on fair and robust application processes.

I do wish your son well, but given the issues with the Met I'd actually be wary of my son being mentored like this!

I do wish your son well, but given the issues with the Met I'd actually be wary of my son being mentored like this!

I'd be wary too. But then I can't see any of my DC agreeing to meet or talk to an unknown MNer. They would only do so if they actually knew them in rl.

https://www.joiningthepolice.co.uk/application-process/ways-in-to-policing/apprenticeship-pcda-entry-route#:~:text=You%20don't%20need%20a,classroom%2Dbased%20theory%20and%20learning.

My brother and my ex husband are both police officers. Brother is a senior detective and very very good at his job, he left school with quite poor GCSEs and tried to do a levels but ultimately dropped out. Completed a course to get himself to Uni and dropped out there too. Worked bars and retail for a while and then joined the police in his early 20s. It was just the right fit for him and he flew up the ranks really quickly, he's very good at what he does and that was recognised fast. His qualifications didn't matter.

ExDH is a beat cop, he has a degree (law) but wasn't interested in progression in the force. That said, he loves the job and is good at it - although he had a personality transplant when he joined which contributed to the end of our marriage and many friendships for him. That is a risk I'm afraid, it happens a lot.

Neither are in the Met, both different forces but in neither case were qualifications that important. They both joined a while ago (about 15 years ish) so it's probably changed but at that point personality and fit seemed to matter more than exam results. It's a good job, but not quite what it used to be in good ways and in bad ones.

This seems very odd to me . ( just my opinion) "a retired very senior officer" reached out. Wants to meet him and mentor him. It all seems to fluffy to me . Why would your son not just apply fill on the forms do what he needs to do .

I don’t want to be Panglossian about issues with policing and the Met, however this should be an exciting time to join and to contribute even if it is only for a few years. As with any profession, understanding what the day to day mechanics of the job entails plus the bigger picture are both key to a good fit. And of course colleagues you want to be with and trust.

Ime it’s fairly normal 🤷‍♀️

there’s a technique to police application forms and interviews. They are scored in a certain way in an attempt to reduce any bias from the interviewer.

it’s fairly common for inspectors + to offer very junior staff or officers assistance. Interview practice, days shadowing roles, reviewing application forms, physical fitness training etc.

my colleague 30+ years ago had someone who had just retired as a senior officer mentor her through the application process. They didn’t know each other, but it was through a similar process, she was calling up, asking to shadow, applying for roles etc, until someone reached out and offered.

Oh I don't know how it works the ins and outs etc . My son done it all himself . They find out over the first 3 months who's likely to continue. And the early days of the practical side of it.

I think some of the posts here about police culture are very telling. Changes of character. I’m hoping that new recruits are more robust, especially the grad ones who are taking a different route into the force. They need to be oriole who keep their morals. Not only that, they need to be very alert to poor behaviour in others. I agree it’s the time to join.

It is a thing, that's for sure. I work with the police (not an officer) but the culture is very particular. To be fair most of my experience is with more senior cops who are obviously older, which may certainly be a factor, but my exDH was in his 20s when he joined and completely changed.

There is the old saying 'join the force, get a divorce' which is generally about cheating, but I think now it's more to do with people having a real shift in values/morals when they join.

My brother is very good at his job, but he's always been an arrogant arsehole who reads the Sun. As I said earlier, he was deemed to be a great fit and has done very well in the Police.

My son has only just completed a year of policing . So yes he is new . He's the most caring person I know he has lots of empathy and understanding even though be is young . He had seen some colleagues that do have a chip on their shoulder and very unapproachable. Which should not be the case . Hopefully the younger generation can change that . But I just wanted to point out they are not all bad .

I don’t believe everyone in the police is bad. But I do think the younger recruits have a massive job to do in changing the culture. We cannot afford for any more “turning a blind eye” to bad behaviour. I also think the police have valued people in the image of themselves and really needed to welcome very intelligent top graduates. I think they have not previously been very welcome. Hopefully the police will see that all decent people can make a contribution at all levels.

Thanks for your update Op , that’s great news about the possible mentor. I wish your son well.

I think they have not previously been very welcome

DS3 said that some older person (I can't quite remember the context, but it was early on) was sneering about unis generally and happened to pick on DS3 and asked him 'So which 'uni' did you go to then clever clogs?' And DS3 replied 'Oxford. And after that Cambridge'. The guy then changed the subject smartish.

DS is 18 months in to the graduate detective programme with the Met. He joined at 23 years and did not do any relevant work experience prior to joining - pub work at uni followed by manual work whilst he was waiting for his police application to be processed - this took nearly 2 years from application to starting (possibly due to Covid). He is the youngest in his cohort by several years and the others had a wide variety of work backgrounds.

@goodbyestranger
I think that’s an example of the culture that needs to change. “Clever Clogs”
is demeaning. It’s not suggesting the graduate initiative is welcome. Let’s hope attitudes change!

Yes absolutely TizerorFizz. I may have misremembered the exact words but clever clogs was the clear implication of whatever the actual words were, if not those. The army doesn't have the same work up through the ranks attitude, although in many ways the culture there is equally toxic. The two organisations have much in common.

@goodbyestrangeroh god, DS’ second career choice is the Army if he doesn’t het the police! Clearly he is attracted to toxic cultures! Ofc I am biased but he is a seriously bright, emotionally intelligent lad with good people skills. I am sure he would call out bad apples and won’t be contaminated by them. As @TizerorFizz says, the police need an attitudinal shift.

@Michaelmonstera so pleased for your DS and hope he is enjoying. My DS hopes to follow in his footsteps!

@Tangotwister
Im hoping the police throw out crates and crates of bad apples! Good luck to DS.

My children have a cousin who went ito the police (not in London ) after a law with criminology degree (I think it was). My recollection was that weirdly despite he being very good (never mind very tall!!!!) was he was rejected a few times despite doing that voluntary police thing - cannot remember the name, he had done it for years. Anyway after a year or 2 after graduating he WAS accepted. I found it very strange they did not snap him up right away. He is very happy and likes the work.