Prior to application there are several entrance criteria to be carefully considered as follows:

National Identity – Those candidates who are not nationals of a member state of the European Economic Area must have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the United Kingdom.  Applicants from outside the UK must live and work in the UK for a minimum period of 3 years before applying.   All non UK nationals must be eligible to reside & work in the UK free from restrictions.

Age – The minimum age for application is 18 years. There is no upper age limit, although considerations should be given to the fact that officers must currently retire age 60 years.

Previous Applications– Candidates who have made an unsuccessful application to join any police force in the United Kingdom must wait 6 months before a further application will be considered. Only in exceptional circumstances will a further application be considered from a candidate who has had three unsuccessful applications. An unsuccessful application is deemed as having failed to meet the required standard in some aspect of the process and should not be confused with circumstances where an application has not been processed for reasons that would not constitute a rejection. All previous applications must be declared.

Applications to other UK Police Forces – You may only apply to one Force at any one time. You must also leave 6 months between applications. All previous or current applications must be declared. Checks will be made with all Forces.

Qualifications –No formal educational qualifications are required. Candidates must however pass the Standard Entrance Test ( SET ) and show that they are sufficiently competent in written and spoken English and sufficiently numerate. The specimen SET is available on this website from the downloads section.

Health – The Scottish Executive has set guidelines regarding pre-employment medical criteria. Our Occupational Health Providers are contracted to make recommendations to the Police Recruitment Team in accordance with these guidelines.

Guidelines on Eyesight Standards – If you think you may not meet the Eyesight Standards, we would recommend that you make the necessary enquiry with an optician to ensure that you meet the standards listed below. We advise that you check this before you submit an application.

• Uncorrected visual acuity must be 6/36 or better, binocularly.
• Corrected distance visual acuity must be 6/12 in either eye and 6/6 or better, binocularly.
• Corrected near static visual acuity must be 6/9 or better, binocularly.
• A field of view of at least 120 degrees horizontally by 100 degrees vertically is required. The field of view should be free of any large defective areas, particularly in the fovea.
• Any applicants who have undergone eye surgery such as PRK, LASIK, ICRS, or cataract surgery will not be rejected but must wait 6 weeks after such surgery before applying. Entry into your chosen force however will not be confirmed until at least 6 months have elapsed.
• Applicants will be rejected if they have had Radial Keratotomy (RK), Arcuate Keratotomy (AK), corneal grafts or any other procedure that results in a significant weakening of the cornea as there is a measurable risk of corneal rupture if the eye is struck.
• Applicants must also meet certain standards with regard to colour vision and are tested in that respect.

Members of H.M. Forces - Members of H.M. Forces will not be considered within twelve months of their release date unless they indicate that they are eligible to take premature voluntary release, and can have this comfirmed by their C.O.

Fitness - The fitness assessment required in the recruitment process is demanding and applicants are advised to commence training as soon as possible. Further information can be found under stage 2 of the assessment process.

Driving Licence – A full UK driving licence is essential.  Applications from candidates with endorsements for minor offences may still be considered.

Criminal Convictions -The Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 does not apply to applicants to the Police Service and applicants must disclose all previous convictions including juvenile and minor road traffic offences. Enquiries into previous convictions are made on all applications and the circumstances of any such convictions will be examined and used to form part of the assessment for continuation.