Can I Apply?

Nationality requirements

To be eligible for appointment, you must be a British citizen or a citizen of a member state of the European Community or other states in the European Economic Area (Iceland, Norway and Liechtenstein).  Commonwealth citizens and foreign national are also eligible but only if they are resident in the UK free of restrictions.  Irrespective of nationality, applicants must have been resident in the UK for three years prior to submitting an application.

North Yorkshire Police adhere to the recommendations of the ACPO Vetting Policy which states that individuals require a minimum residency of 3 years to be vetted for RV clearance (5 years for MV clearance).  Where an individual has resided abroad whilst serving in the British Armed Forces or on UK Government Service, they are considered to have been resident in the UK. 

If you are a Commonwealth citizen or a foreign national, you must provide proof that you have no restrictions on your stay in the UK.  As part of the application process you will be required to provide a copy of your passport which shows that your stay is free of restrictions.  Do not send the actual passport with the application.  Other documentary evidence of your status may be required.  Note: all candidates will be required to produce their passport when attending for Assessment Centre.

Convictions and cautions: you and your family

Convictions or cautions will not necessarily preclude you from appointment.  It will depend on their nature and the circumstances of the offence.  Failure to disclose convictions or cautions will, however, result in your application being terminated.

You must declare all convictions for any past offences, formal cautions by the police (including cautions as a juvenile, i.e. under 18 years) and any bind-overs imposed by any court.  You should include traffic convictions such as speeding, drink-drive offences, fixed penalties for motoring or disorder offences and any appearance before a court martial.

You must declare any charge or summons currently outstanding against you.

You must include spent convictions under the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (by virtue of the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975) or any involvement with civil, military or transport police.

You must declare if you have ever been involved in any criminal investigation, whether or not this let to prosecution (either of yourself or others).

Some applicants do not declare information which they believe is no longer held on record.  However, our enquiries will reveal incidents from long ago and failure to disclose these will lead to your application being rejected.  If you have any doubts, include the details and let us decide if they are relevant.

We will also want to know whether any of your close family or associates are involved in criminal activity and we will therefore search for any criminal convictions or cautions recorded against your family.  You must advise them that these enquiries will be made.  The Police Service cannot disclose the results of these enquiries to you.

Tattoos

Tattoos are not a bar to appointment.  However, some tattoos could potentially offend members of the public or colleagues, or could bring discredit to the Police Service.  It depends on their size, nature and location, and sometimes on the extent.

If you have tattoos on your face, neck, forearms or hands, you should describe their nature, words used, extent, size and location.

Tattoos are not acceptable if they:

• undermine the dignity and authority of the PCSO;

• could cause offence to members of the public or colleagues and/or invite provocations;

• are garish or numerous or particularly prominent;

• indicate unacceptable attitudes towards women, minority groups or any other section of the community;

• indicate alignment with a particular group which could give offence to members of the public or colleagues;

• are considered to be rude, lewd, crude, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic, violent or intimidating.

Financial position

Members of the Police Service are in a privileged position with regards to access to information and could be considered potentially vulnerable to corruption.  Applicants to the Police Service should not, therefore, be under pressure from un-discharged debts or liabilities and should be able to manage loans and debts sensibly. 

Most applicants have debts, such as mortgages, un-discharged student loans, and credit/store cards. Debts that are within your means and are manageable are not a bar to appointment.

• Applicants who have existing county court judgements outstanding against them or who have been registered bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have not been discharged will not be considered.

• Applicants who have discharged county court judgements may be considered.

• Applicants who have been registered as bankrupt and their bankruptcy debts have been discharged will only be considered after three years from the discharge of the debt.
  
  
• Applicants who are the subject of a current Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) may not be considered.

Health

Applicants must be in good health, of sound constitution and able both physically and mentally to perform the duties of a PCSO once appointed.

The Equality Act 2010 prohibits discrimination, victimisation or harassment in employment, including recruitment. If you have a disability, we will make adjustments where it is reasonable to do so.

Successful candidates who receive a conditional offer of employment or who are placed into a pool of successful candidates to whom we intend to make a conditional offer when a position arises will then be asked prior to appointment to fill in a medical questionnaire and undertake a medical examination which will also include an eyesight test. Failure to meet the medical and eyesight standards will mean you cannot be appointed.

Attendance

Sickness Absence Standard

Attendance of staff at work is fundamental to the ability of North Yorkshire Police to effectively meet the needs of the community. In recognition of this, all applicants (internal and external) are measured against the set criteria detailed below:

In order to be considered eligible an individual must not have hit one or more of the sickness triggers detailed below in the last two years:

• 3 or more periods of absence in a 4 month period
• 4 or more periods of absence in a 12 month period
• More than 9 days in a 12 month period

In addition the individual’s overall sickness record must not display a pattern of absence or a single significant period of absence, which would cause doubt regarding the individual’s ability to attend regularly at work.

NOTE: All periods of sickness are considered on a case by case basis, for example pregnancy/disability related sickness.

Absences directly related to a condition covered by the Equality Act 2012 may be excluded if, following consultation, it is determined that some additional sickness absence can be regarded as a reasonable adjustment. Some disabilities will not allow any additional adjustment to be allowed.

Candidates should be aware that they must meet the attendance standard at the closing date for applications and also on the date when a conditional offer of appointment is made.

If you are successful through other parts of the recruitment process but fail to meet the attendance standard, any offer of appointment may be withdrawn.

Eyesight 

Applicants will have their eyesight tested at the medical assessment stage. You may be asked to go to an optician to have your eyes tested and the eyesight form filled in. Failure to pass this test will lead to rejection.

				Guide to Optician's Chart (not to scale)
Unaided vision (without spectacles or lenses) 6/36 or better, binocularly (2nd line down on optician's chart) is required. Binocular vision (vision with both eyes) worse than 6/6 (7th line on optician's chart) requires correction. Aided vision (wearing lenses or spectacles) 6/12 or better in either eye (5th line down on optician’s chart) and 6/6 or better using both eyes (binocular vision) is required. Near vision N6 at 40 cm with both eyes together (aided). Colour vision Severe colour vision deficiencies (monochromats) are not acceptable. Anomalous trichromats are acceptable. Severe anomolous trichromats or dichromats are aceptable but you will need to be aware of the deficiency and make appropriate adjustments. The use of colour correcting lenses is not acceptable.			A BC DEFG HIJKLM NOPQRSTU VWXYZABCD EFGHIJKLMNO PQRSTUVWXYZ		6 / 60 6 / 36 6 / 24 6 / 18 6 / 12 6 / 9 6 / 6 6 / 5
Corrective eye treatment -	Forces will:	Reject applicants who have undergone Radial Keratotomy (RK), Arcuate Keratotomy or corneal grafts due to the side effects of these treatments. Accept applications from people who have undergone Photorefractive Keratectomy (PRK), LASIK or LASEK surgery provided that six weeks have elapsed since surgery, there are no residual side effects and the other eyesight standards are met.
Conditions -	Forces will:	Reject applicants with a history of a detached retina or glaucoma.

Previous applications

You can only apply to one force at any one time.  

If you have previously applied to join the police service as a PCSO and been unsuccessful, you may not reapply for six months from the time you were notified of the outcome of your last application.

Business interests

Unless the chief officer decides otherwise, you will not normally be eligible for appointment as a PCSO if you have any of the following business interests:

• You hold any office or employment for hire or gain (other than as a PCSO) or you carry on any business
• Your spouse/partner or any other relative living with you keeps a shop or similar in the area of the police force in question
• You, your spouse/partner or any relative living with you holds or has a financial interest in any licence or permit relating to liquor licensing, refreshment houses or betting and gaming or the regulation of places of entertainment in the area of the police force in question.

However the chief officer may decide to allow the business interest, if he/she thinks it is compatible with being a member of the force.

Membership of BNP or similar

The Police service has a policy prohibiting any of their officers or staff from becoming members of the BNP or similar organisations whose aims, objectives or pronouncements may contradict the duty to promote race equality.

If you are, or have been, a member of the BNP or similar your application will be rejected.