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We welcome applications from all backgrounds and ethnicities. You will need to meet some basic eligibility requirements before you can apply.
You can apply at the age of 17, although you won’t be appointed until you are 18.
There is no upper age limit for applying to be a Special Constable – life experience is an important attribute for the Specials.
It is not essential to hold a full car driving licence.
You must be a UK, EU citizen with EU settled status, a commonwealth citizen or a foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the UK.
You must have lived in the UK for the past three years from the date of your application. The only exception is British Military Personnel who have served abroad.
There are no formal educational requirements, but a good level of maths and English is appropriate.
You must meet the medical standard entry requirements and attend a medical assessment with our Force Physician.
More information on the medical standards is available at www.gov.uk.
There are no height limitations but you must have a reasonable height/weight ratio. Our Force Physician will assess this by calculating your body mass index.
You will have your eyesight examined during the medical assessment stage. For more information on the eyesight standards, please go to the gov.uk website.
Certain convictions and cautions will lead to automatic rejection unless there are exceptional circumstances. Each case will be dealt with on an individual basis once an application has been submitted.
We will consider convictions, cautions, reprimands, warnings and fixed penalty notices on a case by case basis. Whether an application passes depends on the nature and circumstances of the offence.
Police Checks and Security Vetting are carried out on you and your immediate family. The security service will also carry out checks to verify your identity and background.
We will take samples of your DNA and fingerprints and check against outstanding crimes. We do this after we make a provisional offer, but before a final offer to appoint.
You will have your financial status checked. You must not have any wilfully undischarged debts (e.g. County Court Judgements / Bankruptcy). This does not include mortgages, hire purchase, student loans or other loans that you are paying off normally.
Your application will be rejected if you have an active County Court Judgement or Voluntary Agreement. If you have been declared bankrupt you will not be eligible to apply until three years from the date of the Certificate of Satisfaction. If you have discharged bankruptcy debts you will need to provide a Certificate of Satisfaction.
Tattoos are not a bar to appointment. However, some tattoos could 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.
Members of the public are largely accepting of police officers and staff with visible tattoos. Visible tattoos are unacceptable if they could reasonably be interpreted as discriminatory or offensive and/or indicate attitudes or views inconsistent with Lincolnshire Police’s appearance standards.
Careful consideration will be given by the force to any tattoo on the neck, face or hands in deciding if it is acceptable. This includes considering the size, nature and prominence of the tattoo.
If you are a member of the BNP your application will be rejected. If you have previously been a member of the BNP, you may not be eligible for appointment. Your application will be assessed on an individual basis.
Some occupations are incompatible with being a Special, for example, if you are a member of the armed forces.
Occupations where you cannot be appointed as Special Constables:
Occupations where you are eligible to be appointed as Special Constables subject to the agreement of your employer and at the discretion of the Chief Officer:
Please note this list is not exhaustive.
We are particularly interested in receiving applications from candidates who are fluent in Polish, Latvian or Lithuanian, as well as being fluent in English. However this is not a mandatory requirement.
If you have previously been unsuccessful at the national sift, you must wait at least three months from the date of notification before taking it again with any force.
The College of Policing website gives more details on the eligibility criteria and what it is like to be a Special Constable.
Or contact the Resource and Succession Planning Team:
Lincolnshire Police Headquarters
PO Box 999
Lincoln
LN5 7PH
Tel: 01522 212327
Email: [email protected]