Step 1: Application form

The Cleveland Police application form will be hosted on our e-recruitment system. Please ensure you complete the application form fully. It is very important that you follow the instructions and submit the form within the required timescales, please note that incomplete forms will not be accepted.

You will receive a notification regarding the outcome of your application and if you are successful you will be invited to attend an Assessment Centre.

It is important to note that the application form is competency based and through this we are looking for qualities you have or may develop to carry out the role.

Your answers will decide whether your application progresses to the next stage.

Please give specific examples of what you SAID or DID on a given occasion so we can see exactly how you behaved.

Remember to:

  • read the question fully
  • take your time
  • avoid jargon. abbreviations
  • be honest
  • check spelling and grammar
  • proof read all

Step 2: PCSO assessment centre

We usually run the assessment centres over a weekend and you will be required to attend on only one of the days. Please note that you will be responsible for making your own travel arrangements.

Once the assessment centre is booked and organised, we will contact you to inform you of the dates. It is important, once the date has been provided, that every effort is made to attend the assessment centres as there is no guarantee of any further dates available.

However, if you cannot attend, it is important you inform the Recruitment Team at your earliest opportunity as once you are booked on your assessment centre with the College of Policing, your space is paid for and cannot be transferred to another candidate.

The PCSO assessment centre consists of:

  • 20-minute competency based-interview
  • two written exercises
  • two interactive role play exercises

These exercises are designed to test your ability to think on your feet, make quick decisions based on sound judgement and also measure your basic numeracy and literacy standards.

You will be required to provide identification documents as explained in the PCSO Guidance Document.

If you do not bring these with you, you will not be allowed to progress any further with the application process.

If you are successful at this stage, you will then be invited to attend an interview with members of Cleveland Police.

Step 3: Final interview

The Force has adopted the Policing Professional Framework (PPF), for recruitment and selection and candidates will be scored against the relevant personal qualities for the role:

  • serving the public
  • openness to change
  • service delivery
  • professionalism
  • decision making
  • working with others

The final interview will be a series of questions focussing upon:

  • Key aspects of the PPF at practitioner level
  • The vision, values and leadership matrix of Cleveland Police
  • Ethics and integrity (Code of Ethics)

Our suggestion is to research the STAR approach to recruitment which covers a situation, task, action and result approach.

Step 4: Pre-employment checks

If you pass the assessment centre you will be put forward for the following checks:

  • Biometrics - this will involve taking fingerprints and a DNA sample and checks made against the appropriate databases. If you are successfully appointed, your DNA profiles and fingerprints will be held on the Police Elimination Database. If you are not appointed, all copies and records will be destroyed. If you refuse to give a sample we will not be able to proceed with your application.
  • Medical and eyesight checks - we will ask to you complete a medical questionnaire and attend a health assessment by our occupational health team.
  • Security vetting and financial checks - all candidates will be subject to our vetting procedures and financial checks.
  • Drug test - we also require you to undertake drug screening; this will take the form of a hair sample.

Step 5: Formal offer and training

Once you have successfully completed all of the pre-employment checks, you will be allocated a place on a training course and provided with your formal offer.

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