There is an interesting article in Police Review this week about police recruitment. In essence, this says that in half the forces in the country, recruitment has come to a standstill. So, what does this mean if you are applying to the service? Well, in essence, things just got a lot harder. Firstly, if your local force decides not to recruit, then no matter how hard you wish, nothing will change that decision. So, you may need to think about applying to a force that is recruiting, and accept that you may have to travel or move. (Easier to do where force borders are near to you, harder if you live in the middle of a big county area!).

But even if your force is recruiting, don’t think you are unaffected. To begin with, the number and quality of applicants will go up, as the motivated candidates from Force X find it is not recruiting, and so apply to your force. So, your competition just got stronger.

Add to this mix the recession, and there is another factor. A lot of talented people cannot get jobs elsewhere, and will try the police. This means even more competition, as these people will also be applying to the areas that are still recruiting.

So, life becomes very hard indeed.  Fewer forces recruiting, fewer places available in those that are, more high quality applicants prepared to travel, all equates to pass marks and increased standards. The moral of this, inevitably, is that now is the time you really squeeze every mark you can out of the assessment centre. Forces will start to cherry pick those people who score highest at assessment, so just passing will not cut any ice. Being good will not be good enough.

Failing the assessment meanwhile will just put you at the back of an ever expanding queue to reapply.

Which of course is where police recruitment training courses come in. If you are below par, we will help drag you up to a pass grade. Of you are good, we will help you get better, so that you will probably get an earlier intake place.

Our Nottingham course only has a few places left if you are thinking about it. We have been really busy this week, especially on the application form checking front. Several forces have opened their recruitment lines, hence the rush on forms. Yet again though, moving back to the subject of getting into the job, despite what I have said on this blog, the advice we give in the police application form checking covering email, and the guidance we give out, I would say that three quarters of the forms we check d not deal with inappropriate conduct properly, to the extent that many would fail. I suspect this is because people have this view of the police that bobbies look after each other, and candidates want to show us that whilst they know inappropriate behaviour is wrong, they would not go overboard so nudge, nudge, wink, wink they would deal with it. This view is just SO wrong. Let me give you an example from Cheshire. There was an email going around a while back. It was  a set of crime scene photos from the LAPD (Los Angeles Police Department). The LAPD had pursued a car theif onto the freeway. here the car stopped, and the thief tried to jump from one freeway onto another. Regrettably, he missed, and literally decapitated himself on a spiked fence underneath the freeway. The photos showed his head on the spiked fence whilst his body sat at the bottom of the fence. The photos were circulated bya control room operator to scores of people in the force. The subsequent discipline inquiry saw almost all of those people being subject to some form of disciplinary action for receiving inappropriate images. The point is that this is how severely the job views potentially inappropriate conduct (seniority excepted!)

have to say, we had a busy weekend. Exeter, Southampton and Stafford Saw everyone turning up, and having worked the First two, I can say what a good crowd you all were! Some groups really stood out in terms of asking questions and evidencing motivation, and you let kept us there till late both nights!

One question did come up on the feedback though, in terms of evidence for the interview question in terms of the diversity issue. Firstly, one should remember that the questions (and indeed the role plays and written exercises) stay the same, word for word, nationally, for six months. (It used to be 12 until NPIA realised the internet exists and that candidates tell each other what is on the assessment. They have tried to counter this by the six month change, which just half’s an absolutely massive flaw in the system into a merely massive one!). What this means is that as candidates are asked the same questions word for word, and often have very similiar backgrounds, the type of responses given to the interviewers tends to be the same or very similiar (another flaw in the system). Over the weekend, one student made the point that whilst I was suggesting types of answers that are good include race, sexuality and religion, my colleague appeared to suggest that these were a bit obvious now. Instead he suggested disability as being more “original”. Whilst I actually agree with this, it only works if you have that experience. If not, stick with the tried and tested topics of race etc. It is true something a bit different is more interesting for the interviewer, but as we prove on the course when we go through probable questions, most people will give such poor answers that you giving a common (but relevant) example will still mark you out as being a star. For police assessments, the trick is, as always, do your preparation and have examples ready to go.

Found out that the Northumbria police assessmenst are the first week in january today, so have moved the course we had planned for January forward to acommodate this. Alreday had a fair few bookings for it, so if you want to attend, please book as soon as. We normally have good group numbers in Newcastle, and they normally as a force have a good few people passing. Like quite  afew forces, if this happens this time, you could well find like Gwent or Avon and Somerset that they will just take the highest scores.

Linked in with that, I had a conversation with a PCSO from Gwent a few weeks ago, who was confident that he did not need a course like ours as his background as a CSO would be all he needed. I pointed out that if that were the case, he ought to consider two key points.

1. If that were true, then why did he know loads of cso’s who had tried and failed before to get in (and the same goes of course for Special Constables). Secondly, if the police background was such a huge help, then all the other CSO/Specials would also have the same advantage, and the force could not have enough vacancies to possibly fit them all in.

he didn’t believe me, but after another call this week assures me he will be coming on a course for his next application having failed!

had he come with us, he would probably have been in by now!

Regards

John

All recieved this week:

Hey John!!!

Dont know if you remember me but I attended your course in xx on 4th July 09.
I just want to let you know that I received my big brown envelope today! I was dreading opening it but I passed with 60%!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I just want to say a big big big thank you !!!!!!!!!!!!!!! I could not have done it without your course! Your material was brilliant and you were a brilliant teacher! I am so happy and Im going out to celebrate with my friends now.
Needs to start revising for my Interview now hehe!
Thank you so much again!

I would like to say a very big thank you for the help and advice that I received on 5th July in Kent.” I was dreading the police assessment role play exercises before I went on the Talking Blues course, but enjoyed doing them at my assessment centre after being taught how to approach them, and not to fear them. I managed to keep the conversation going in all of them for the full 5 minutes, and had to be cut short, and also the same for the interview questions!Got my results through yesterday and scored 64% overall, with 100% for oral communication.Many thanks, especially to Graham, don’t think I would of passed without your excellent help.

Hi,
I took the talking blues course on June 28th at Stafford, just to let you know I passed the police assesment and have my fitness test and would like to say thank you for the help. I will definately recommend this course to friends.
Once again Thank You

Hi,
I just wanted to thank you for all the help you gave me back in June (26th/ Hatfield) for my police assessment day preparation, I got my results yesterday and passed with 62% so am looking forward to my day 2 now!

Always makes us feel good, and we reckon that if we get stopped for speeding, at least 20% of the uniform officers in the country should know us by now!