5. Application and recruitment process

The first step in the application process is to complete and submit the application form which covers our minimum academic and personal eligibility criteria.

Your application will then go through an initial sift to check you meet the eligibility criteria so please make sure your application is completed in full.

You can read through the entry routes for becoming a police constable here

Our current vacancies are published here

National Sift: 

If your application is successful you will be asked to complete an online test, known as the “National Sift”. The test is made up of two exercises:

• the Situational Judgement Test (SJT)
• a Behavioural Styles Questionnaire (BSQ) 

The exercises will assess if you have the key behaviours and values to join us as a police constable. No prior policing knowledge is required to complete the national sift exercises.

You are required to complete this within one week 

Online Assessment Centre

Following successful National Sift you will be invited to the Online Assessment Centre. 

We will share more information with you about the online assessment before you take it. It is made up of three exercises:

Competency based interview: Use examples from your work and personal life to answer a series of questions.

Written assessment: Complete an urgent written task whilst assuming the role of a police constable.

Briefing exercise: Read material and answer questions based on what you have read whilst assuming the role of a police constable.

Before you complete your online assessment we will let you know what technology you need. If you need a reasonable adjustment, or if you can’t access the right technology, you can talk to us about it.

You can expect your results within three weeks of sitting your online assessment.

Competency and values framework (CVF) | College of Policing

A final interview will be conducted online, this will be a competencies and values based and you will be sent guidance before to help with your preparation. This will be your opportunity to further demonstrate your suitability to join the force as a police officer.

Medical Screening

You will be asked to complete a medical questionnaire which must be signed by your GP and returned confidentially to our Occupational Health Unit.

All medical questionnaires will be assessed by our Occupational Health Nurse Advisors who may require further information from your medical practitioner. Candidates who are declared as "fit to proceed" will then be examined by a medical practitioner on behalf of Wiltshire Police.

We will check: BMI (which must be 30 or below), eyesight including colour vision, lung function and hearing.

Guidance on police eyesight standards can be found here.

Fitness Test

We test on endurance fitness, and you are required to pass the fitness test before we can continue with your application. This a mandatory requirement, whichever police officer role you are applying for. 

The fitness test is a multi-stage shuttle run (MSSR) and individuals need to achieve level 5.4 (which is the aerobic requirement of officer safety training).

Vetting checks

We will carry out internal and external vetting checks on you and your spouse/partner, members of your family including step-siblings, and half-siblings. We will also check your partner's children if they are over ten years old and any other adults who reside at your address.

Financial checks will also be carried out on all candidates. Those with outstanding County Court Judgements (CCJs), Individual Voluntary Agreements (IVAs) or who have been registered bankrupt will be rejected. If you have discharged bankruptcy debts, you will need verification from the court of this and three years must have lapsed since the date of discharge.

Biometric testing/substance misuse

Samples of your fingerprints and DNA will be taken to carry out final vetting checks against our database. You will have a hair sample taken which will be subject to a substance misuse test. When attending your biometrics and substance misuse appointment you will be asked to provide details of all medications you are currently taking (prescription and non-prescription). Some medications will return a positive result that may require further investigation if not declared and so we advise to declare all in advance.

Wiltshire Police will seek references from your current employer if you have been employed by them for more than five years. If you have been employed for less than five years with your current employer, references will also be sought from previous employers. We will notify you before we approach your employment referees for your consent.

Before being appointed into position we will take up references from previous employers covering the last 3 years of employment. Where you are applying direct from college, you will need to provide us with the name of your tutor/educational establishment in order for us to approach them to take up references covering a period of 3 years. If you have been at college for a period of less than 3 years, the name of your tutor / educational establishment prior will also need to be provided.

You can complete the exercises on any internet-enabled device with a camera (laptop, tablet or phone), but to ensure full compatibility with the online platform, the following should be set up:

• Your operating system should be Windows 7 (or higher) or Mac OS 10.11 (or higher).
• Your browser should be the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox, Google Chrome or Safari.
• You should have the latest version of Adobe Flash installed, and you require a webcam and microphone to record responses.

What should I do if I have a disability that might affect my performance?

The assessment is designed to be fair and inclusive for all candidates. If you have a disability, you can request a reasonable adjustment by contacting the support email in your assessment invitation. Please do this before starting the assessment, as reasonable adjustments cannot be applied retrospectively, and provide as much information as you’re comfortable with so we can ensure the most appropriate adjustment is applied, as these will vary depending on your disability or neurodiversity. All available reasonable adjustments are based on scientific 
research and best practice standards.