Recruitment process

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The recruitment and vetting process

Applying for the role

When you apply to North Wales Police as a Police Constable, you’ll complete a number of stages. These stages are listed below to help you understand the process you’re about to embark on. All candidates are required to successfully pass every stage of the process to be recruited as a Police Constable.

We’re an equal opportunities employer and are committed to attracting, supporting and developing a workforce representative of the communities that we police and serve. We strive to ensure that all personnel practices, including recruitment, are applied consistently and fairly and as such we expect all staff involved in the recruitment process to share this commitment.

Therefore, throughout the recruitment process, the members of staff and assessors involved are trained to the highest standard, ensuring that the principles of the Equality Act are adhered to. This is supported through our Standards of Practice and Unconscious Bias training that is delivered to all of our assessors.

At the end of each stage of the recruitment process, you’ll be notified whether or not you’ve been successful and eligible to proceed to the next stage.

Reasonable adjustments and accommodations

It’s important that you consider if you would like to request arrangements that will assist you in completing the selection process. For example, in relation to disability, dyslexia, learning difficulties, pregnancy, menopause, religion or belief, injury etc.

Any requests for reasonable adjustments will be considered and arranged where possible. This information will be treated in confidence. If you need reasonable adjustments, please contact the recruitment team on SSFRecruitment@nthwales.pnn.police.uk

You may be eligible for Positive Action, which can provide support throughout the application and section process. Find out more on the Positive Action Team page.

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 (PDF)
Situational Judgement Test (PDF)

If you don’t have a Level 3 qualification or above, you must also successfully pass a psychometric test (Verbal Reasoning and Calculation). This will test your academic ability to Level 3. If you pass these tests, you will move on to complete the online form.

You do not need to complete the whole form in one session; you can save your progress as you go along. When we receive your application form, we’ll check your eligibility and your responses and if your application is successful, you will be invited to attend an online assessment centre.

Please note that sometimes we have more applications than vacancies and if this is the case, we may close our advertising window early, or come back to you to let you know that we no longer have vacancies.

The application will ask you about eligibility

During the eligibility stage we will check that you meet all of the criteria previously detailed before continuing with your application; these will include:

qualifications
tattoos
residency
declared convictions

If your application doesn’t meet the eligibility criteria, unfortunately your application will not be progress and you will be withdrawn from the recruitment process.

You can find out more about the eligibility criteria on the College of Policing website.

The Competency and Values Framework (CVF) sets out the behaviours expected of everyone working in policing.

What is the College of Policing online assessment process?

The College of Policing online assessment process is an online process for the recruitment of police constables. It is a series of stages containing exercises that test the key competencies and values that are important for police constables.

What does the North Wales Police online assessment process involve?

The online assessment process is a staged process that consists of three exercises.

The process is broken up as follows

Stage 1 – Competency-based video interview
Stages 2 & 3 – Written exercise and briefing exercise

No prior knowledge of the role of a police officer or any policing knowledge is required to complete the exercises. Further information on the role profile of a police constable can be found on the College of Policing website.

How do I begin the online assessment process?

Once you’ve been successful in your applications, we’ll send you all the details you need to complete the online assessment.

You can find out more about the online assessment process on the College of Policing website.

We’ll write to you when we receive the online assessment results and if you’re successful you’ll be invited to attend an interview.

You’ll meet other people working for North Wales Police and it’s a good opportunity for us to meet you. This is to help us understand more about you as an individual and your ethics and values.

The interview takes about 45 minutes and is based on:

Your research into North Wales Police, the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner, and the role you are applying for
The College of Policing, in particular the Code of Ethics
The Competency and Values Framework (CVF), which sets out the behaviours expected of everyone working in policing

Let us know if you want to hold your interview in English or Welsh, or a combination of both if that is easier for you.

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

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 police officer recruits to demonstrate basic skills in the Welsh language (level 2 competency).

The review will take place in an informal manner with a sympathetic Welsh speaker. We offer support and guidance to help you achieve the required level.

We also have online learning resources that may assist you with your learning.

If you are a fluent Welsh language speaker or went to an all-Welsh speaking school then you won’t need to complete the review. This will be verified during the process.

You’ll 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’ll have been given a medical history questionnaire and an optician’s form. These must be completed by your doctor and optician – please note that they may charge you for doing this, and it can take up to four weeks to return the forms to you.

Once your medical papers have been viewed by our Occupational Health Unit, you will be invited to attend a medical assessment with our nurse and Force doctor.

As part of the medical, you will be required to undertake a drugs test.

Eyesight Standards (Gov.uk)

Recommended Medical Standards (PDF)

Once the process is complete and information gathered, we’ll write to you confirming your appointment and join date.

North Wales Police embraces diversity. We welcome applications from everyone.

Recruitment process

The recruitment and vetting process

Applying for the role

Reasonable adjustments and accommodations

1. Application form

2. Assessment

How do I begin the online assessment process?

3. Competency-based interview

4. Making the offer

Background enquiries and academic/employee references

Welsh language assessment

Biometric vetting

Fitness test

Medical assessment

Offer of appointment