How to apply

You must be 18 or over at the time of submitting your application.

You need to be a British citizen, an EC/EEA national, a Commonwealth citizen, or a foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the UK.

You must have resided continuously in the UK for a three year period immediately prior to submitting your application. You cannot have been absent from the UK for more than six months during this time.

If you have been serving with the British Armed Forces or on UK Government Service, you are considered to have been resident in the UK.

We are unable to consider you if you have outstanding County Court Judgements, or a current Individual Voluntary Agreement (IVA), or have been registered bankrupt within the last three years.

This vetting information provides more details.

This vetting information provides more details.

If you are a member of the BNP or a similar organisation - or have ever been a member - you are not eligible to apply.

Tattoos are allowed at North Wales Police, but they must not be offensive or undermine the dignity and authority of your role.

During your application we will ask you to send us a photo and a description of your tattoos.

Some examples of tattoos we would not accept are:

• Swear words
• Naked bodies
• Weapons that are not linked to a tribute to your service in the armed forces
• Any tattoo ridiculing a particular belief or religion

Create a profile and register your details on our e-recruitment system.

If you have also applied to another force using this system, you will need to create a separate profile for your North Wales application. This is because different forces handle the application process differently.

The first part of the process asks questions to determine if you are eligible to apply.

If you are eligible, you will be guided through the application process. First, there will be some online tests. These will include an online Behavioural Style Questionnaire and a Situational Judgement Test.

You can find out more about these tests in these guidance documents: 

• Behavioural Style Questionnaire guidance (PDF)
• Situational Judgement Test guidance (PDF)

If you do not have the required GCSE in English and Maths, but feel your experience equates to this level then you will be able to take a psychometric test (Verbal Reasoning and Calculation). This will test your academic ability.

If you pass these tests, you will move on to complete the online form. 

Depending on the answers you have provided, we may need to review your application. 

You must ensure you complete the forms in full and include as much information as possible. If you are unsure please check with the recruitment team before submitting. It is always better to add something and let us decide if it is relevant, than to not include it.

Please also ensure you read the questions carefully - if you don’t declare something you should, or you make a mistake with an answer, you may not be able to progress to the next stage, or if you do progress and it is determined at a later stage something wasn’t declared, this may mean you are unable to progress.

If you have any documents that are to be uploaded please make sure you do. Failure to do so will mean you won’t be able to progress to the next stage.

If you have any points on your driving licence ensure you declare them; failure to do so will mean you won’t be able to progress to the next stage.

Successful applicants will then move onto the next stage.

The interview is to help us understand more about you as an individual and your ethics and values.

It will last about 40 minutes and is based on:

• the Competency and Values Framework [PDF]
• your research into the role and North Wales Police as an organisation

We are flexible in terms of language used in the interview. You will need to let us know whether you want to speak in English or Welsh, or a combination of both if that is easier for you. The interview is not a test of your Welsh skills.

As we only have a certain number of posts available, you may be offered an opportunity as a reserve where you will progress through the pre-employment checks. However, you would be made aware that there is a potential for there not to be any spaces available in the intake for this campaign.

Following your interview we will advise you and begin the pre-employment checks. 

Your details will be sent to our Vetting unit to start carrying out background checks. Our Recruitment Team will obtain references from your former employers and/or academic institutions.

We will only contact your current employer with your consent – it will be one of the last stages of the process.

You will be asked to provide a fingerprint and DNA sample, to be stored on the Police Elimination Database.

Policing has never been an easy job. You will be required to handle a variety of situations involving physically challenging tasks.

You will need strength, agility and stamina to deal effectively with situations as well as to defend yourself and others. You also need to be fit to handle police equipment safely and to work shifts.

The fitness test is a way for us to ensure you are fit enough to cope with the demands of the job.

Learn more about what the test involves [PDF].

You must complete your medical form as soon as possible. 

It is important to disclose further details as requested, it may delay your application if you do not. It is also advisable to provide any discharge letters, medical letters, appointment details, consultant’s reports etc. so we have the information to be able to assess.

On some occasions there may be a requirement for us to contact your GP for further information, we will always seek your consent before doing so.

Recommended medical standards [PDF]

Eyesight standards (Gov.uk)

Here at North Wales Police we actively encourage all our staff and officers to use Welsh in their daily lives at work.

Therefore we ask all new PCSO recruits to demonstrate basic skills in the Welsh language. This is level 2 as shown below: 

0 - No knowledge of spoken Welsh
1 - This means that you are able to pronounce Welsh place names and first names, some police related vocabulary and can understand and say basic greetings and basic phrases.
2 - This means that as well as demonstrating NWP L1 spoken Welsh skills that you are able to give and ask for personal details and basic information; to make simple requests and say a few phrases about yourself in Welsh.
3 - This means that as well as demonstrating NWP L1 and NWP L2 spoken Welsh skills you are able to converse partly in Welsh but turn to English in discussion and to give detailed information. You can understand and respond to general enquiries and describe people and places using simple phrases in Welsh.
4 - This means that as well as demonstrating NWP L1, NPW L2 and NWP L3 spoken Welsh skills you are also able to understand and deal with people in everyday spoken Welsh in most situations but you may turn to English when dealing with complex situations or terminology.
5 - This means that you are fully conversant in spoken Welsh in all situations.

You will be invited for an assessment which will take place in an informal manner with a sympathetic Welsh speaker. We offer support and guidance to help you achieve the required level for the role.

We also have online learning resources that may assist you with your learning. Please note it is a spoken review - there is no written test. You will have three attempts at the assessment.

Fluent Welsh speakers will be verified by way of a telephone conversation with one of the team.

You will be offered the position once all your pre-employment checks are complete and your current reference has been returned.