Who we are looking for

You must be a minimum of 18 years old at the point of application. There is no upper age limit.

If you are a young person over the age of 18 and you believe you have the necessary skills and qualities we are looking for right now, then apply to be a police officer.

For those of you who have worked in various jobs over a number of years, or perhaps raised a family, then it is very likely that you have acquired many of the transferrable skills and experiences we are looking for and we would absolutely encourage you to submit an application form.

To be eligible, you must be a British citizen or a citizen of a country that is a member of the European Economic Area (EEA) or Switzerland.

Commonwealth citizens and foreign nationals who are residents in the UK and free from restrictions are also eligible to apply.

You must also have been resident in the UK for a minimum of three years immediately prior to application.

You must possess a full, manual driver’s licence at the point of making an application.

Not got your licence yet? You can apply to be a police officer as soon you pass your test. 

Please ensure you declare any driving endorsements/penalty points as they will be discovered through your application process.

You do not need any formal qualifications to apply to become a police officer.

Being a police officer is less about formal qualifications and all about the skills you already have, skills that get added to every day.

Those skills come from the jobs you do, the community you live in, your friends, family and the expectations and values that you set yourself.

The skills that we will look for during the police officer selection process and develop through our high-quality training programmes will allow you to confidently uphold the law and make a difference to the people, places, and communities of Scotland.

Your potential and life experiences are more important to us.

Vetting checks are carried out once you have successfully completed the application process.

It’s important to be accurate with all information supplied during the application process as it’s all confirmed at the vetting stage.

Vetting is part of the final stage of the selection process.

List of Ineligible Offences (List 1) 

Conviction of any of the offences below will lead to an application to join Police Scotland being ineligible and will be rejected at application stage.

• Offences involving death or serious injury including murder, culpable homicide, manslaughter, any offence of causing death by driving, attempted murder, assault to severe injury, assault to severe injury and permanent disfigurement, assault to severe injury and danger of life, grievous bodily harm, wounding with intent.
  
  
• Treason, espionage, kidnapping, human trafficking, abduction, torture.
  
  
• Sexual offences such as rape, sexual assault, indecent images offences, lewd and libidinous practices, any other sexually coercive conduct, those who are registered sex offenders/the subject of Orders such as a Sexual Offences Prevention Order/Sexual Harm Prevention Order.
  
  
• Firearms or explosives offences.
  
  
• Any offence of domestic violence, controlling or coercive behaviour, stalking.
  
  
• Serious or fraudulent offences of dishonesty including armed robbery, burglary, theft by housebreaking, perverting the course of justice, perjury, corruption.
  
  
• Any offence as an adult resulting in a prison sentence.

List of Offences which will almost certainly lead to vetting refusal – with timescales (List 2)

Conviction of the below offences within the last 10 years, an application to join Police Scotland being ineligible and will be rejected at application stage.
Conviction of the below offences more than 10 years ago, the Force Vetting Unit will make an early assessment of suitability on a case-by-case basis.

• Hate crime including offences involving discrimination.
  
  
• Drink/drug driving including failing to provide a specimen.
  
  
• Any offence of supply of controlled drug, being concerned in the supply of controlled drug.
  
  
• Dangerous driving.

For both lists

Involvement in any offence listed in List 1 or 2 of ineligible offences which did not result in a conviction, the Force Vetting Unit will make an early assessment of suitability on a case-by-case basis.

You must be physically fit and mentally resilient to undertake police duties. The fitness assessment is based on the Scottish Police Service National Fitness Standard.

You will also be expected to maintain your fitness throughout your career. 

To be appointed as a police officer, you are required to undergo a medical examination towards the end of the selection process.

It is an essential criteria of the medical examination that your Body Mass Index (BMI) is within the range of 18 and 30.

You are encouraged to meet the BMI criteria at the point of application and maintain this standard throughout the selection process.

NHS BMI calculator

Your eyesight must meet the national eyesight standard. Eyesight will be not be assessed until the medical stage at the very end of the selection process.

Failure to meet the standard means you cannot be appointed.

To avoid disappointment, you may wish to consider consulting with a qualified optician before applying and consulting the national eyesight standard document.