We need police officers – experienced ones, looking for a new challenge in a new place – and brand-new officers who need training from scratch.

We’re also taking applications for Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) and all kinds of police staff jobs, everything from communications operators (call handlers) taking 999 emergency calls to administrative assistants and detention officers.

For some of these jobs, be prepared for shift work, and no two days ever being the same. For all of them expect job satisfaction and a great rewards package as you join our police family.

It takes all kinds of non-uniform professionals to keep our constabulary running smoothly, from finance to IT experts, crime analysts and maybe you?

 

Case studies, testimonials and videos

Check out some of our careers videos here:

 

We asked our serving police officers why you should join Hertfordshire Constabulary. Their answer? It’s the best!

Many of them had applied following a friend’s recommendation or having spoken to positive and welcoming serving officers while they’re out and about.

They say our officers speak much more highly of our force than others, particularly about our inclusive approach.

As one of the smaller police forces, the fact that as a Herts police officer you’re treated as an individual, not a number, comes up all the time. We are small enough to care, but big enough to give you a varied career as there are a vast number of opportunities on offer, from becoming a detective to a dog handler, armed response or community cop.

The combination of urban and rural policing appeals – Hertfordshire is a beautiful county with a population of around 1.2 million people.

One thing's for sure, as a Hertfordshire police officer you'll have the opportunity to enjoy a truly fulfilling career and work your way up the ranks. Oh, and we pay more than most other places, too! Join as a graduate with a degree, or as an apprentice earning £29,680 from day one.

Being a police officer is both rewarding and challenging. You’ll sometimes need to operate outside of your comfort zone and handle difficult or complex situations, supporting victims and witnesses and providing reassurance in the community.

You’ll need team working skills and great people skills, remaining calm and patient with members of the public, particularly in stressful or volatile situations.

As a police officer you will make a real difference in your community, reducing crimes and making people safer.

Police officers

Army veteran, Sgt Andrew Thomas, known as Tommo, has been a police officer with Herts since 2017. Tommo spent a decade in the Infantry, serving overseas in Iraq, Canada, the Falklands and Germany, as well as in the UK.

“I love being a police officer,” he said. “It’s the perfect job for someone coming out of the Army, where you’re helping people on a global scale, moving to helping people at a local level, where you can actually see the difference you’re making every day.”

He said: “I was kicked out of every secondary school I went to, I was a troubled kid, in care for a long time living in London and one day I was arrested in Watford for riding a motorbike a friend had stolen. That was a turning point for me.

“The cop who arrested me drove me home, gave me a child caution and a big talking to! He told me how he’d been in the Army for 20-odd years and it was like he was challenging me: could I do it? The next day I applied and the rest is history. I was then moulded by the Army, with a strong moral code, and later I passed all my exams.”

Tommo, 35, left the Army after 10 years and worked in recruitment in the City but felt something was missing and didn't like being sat behind a desk all the time. He started with Hertfordshire as a Special Constable and then joined as a police officer.

While he doesn’t know the Herts officer who set him on the right path all those years ago, father-of-three Tommo has tried to ‘pass it on’ during his time. “Yes, I have tried to help some troubled kids,” he smiled. “Often, they are good kids at heart and just need something to look forward to so I'll say: ‘Stay out of trouble and I’ll take you out in the police car’, and they do, it’s great. I’ve had to work hard to get where I am and I encourage others to do the same.”

Tommo, who is currently working in our Positive Action recruitment team, was previously on Intervention in St Albans, responding to 999 calls and incidents.

“I chose Herts because I’d been a Special here and I loved it and I still do. I loved the adrenalin of intervention with the mix of city and countryside and now I have an important role encouraging others to join policing and change someone’s life.”

We provide mentors to former armed services personnel looking to join our police service through our military buddy scheme.

↪️ If you’re inspired, visit www.hertspoliceofficer.co.uk to register your interest. Ask for a mentor to support you through our Positive Action or military buddy scheme.

PCSOs

PCSO Sadqain wanted to know what problems his local community faced and how he could help make a difference in people’s lives, so he joined policing.

“People asked me why I wanted to join the police and there were lots of reasons, my last role was a site manager at a recycling centre and I wanted a change of career to help the community and local police by using my skills in a challenging and rewarding job to build my confidence.

“Another reason I applied was I wanted to represent my Muslim and Kashmiri community. There are a good number of Pakistani and Kashmiri living in my local hometown and I saw many Asian councillors, but hardly any Asian PCSOs, so that motivated me a lot.

“My family and friends appreciate me and support me a lot. They were really happy with what I chose to do and I’m very thankful to them. I got a few negative comments at first, but I just dismissed them.

“Hertfordshire is my county, my family and my people live here, I saw an advert on Facebook and stepped up and applied through the PCSO website.”

PCSOs play an important role in communities, helping to maintain public safety and order and this appealed to Sadqain as rewarding work. They work with different local partners agencies and schools, which makes it an interesting job.

“It makes my day when I’m on patrol and someone says to me that they feel safe when I’m around,” said Sadqain. “On a typical day we attend a morning briefing, check on the computer what is happening in our designated area and make notes on what is most important and where we need to visit first. We spend time patrolling and are always conscious of what happening around us, listening to the police radio all the time. We also arrange and attend meetings and events in the community.

“I would recommend becoming a PCSO to anyone who wants to make a difference to people’s lives, keep our streets safe and help the community to come forward and choose this rewarding and challenging profession.”

Be part of a force that’s putting crime and harm prevention first and become a PCSO.

💰 Salaries start at £25,278 and go up to £30,951.

✔️ PCSOs improve the quality of life for residents and make their area safer by proactively tackling crime and anti-social behaviour.
⏰ There’s shift work, some weekends and evenings.
📅 Part time and flexible hours offered.
↪️ Apply now! www.hertspolicepcso.co.uk

Emergency call handlers

Meet former long-haul cabin crew Ashleigh, one of our team of ‘comms ops’, who take emergency calls from the public and dispatch officers to incidents.

“I applied for the job because I have always been interested in the work that police do and I wanted to be involved in making a difference to people's lives, especially when they might be experiencing some of the most difficult times in their life. I liked the idea of being someone behind the scenes who is assisting officers with catching criminals.”

She loves the variety of the role: “I could be speaking to someone on the phone about ongoing historical crimes, next someone with neighbour issues then suddenly dealing with a panicked person in an emergency. I also could be dispatching officers to jobs, keeping them updated with live information that is coming in about the job or directing them in containing offenders or searching for high risk missing persons.

“I enjoy the way that we start our shift with no idea what our day will look like. It keeps things interesting and I enjoy speaking to a variety of different people from all walks of life. It’s a very social job. Everyone is so friendly and helpful and we all work as a big team supporting each other and getting each other through the tough times that do come along in this line of work.

“Some challenges are when we are facing multiple emergencies in one time. It can be so fast paced with officers calling up on the radio at the same time quickly about the jobs they are heading too or dealing with. It easy to doubt yourself and think you can't do it, but once things slow back down again you realise that you have kept up with everything. Another challenge can be when you have to tell people that police are not coming and they are not happy about it, but ultimately sometimes they have called the wrong agency and you do have to point them in the direct of the correct place to report it too.

“I would recommend the job as it guarantees that no day will be the same, when you go home you feel like you really made a difference to people's lives and gives a big sense of fulfilment, and the people who work here are friendly, approachable and hard-working. Everyone works together to make sure we are always doing the best we can for the public.

“A good comms op has to be resilient, understanding and compassionate. You need to be able to deal with the nature of the job as there is a lot of hard-hitting things we can deal with. You have to be able to really put yourself in the caller's shoes and show them that you do care about their situation. A good comms op is the type of person who can communicate clearly with colleagues in the room, over the radio or phone, as well as being extremely open-minded and flexible to the fact that within seconds, things can go from being calm then suddenly multiple high-risk incidents can be on the go at once.

“I really enjoy working in the control room and feel very happy in my job. If you are wanting a job that is exciting, challenging and rewarding then this is definitely one you should consider.”

Could you answer the phone to someone having the worst day of their life and help them? Could you stay calm in a crisis? If the answer is ‘yes’ then you could be an emergency call handler like Ashleigh.

We’re recruiting for communications operators to handle 101 and 999 calls, take online reports and respond to webchat, with applications short-listed on a weekly basis, so don’t wait until the deadline to apply – apply today.

Call handlers work flexibly, including weekends, and evenings/nights, to answer emergency and non-emergency calls and direct policing resources across the county. The starting salary is £30,375 inclusive of shift allowance, if you work full-time. There’s full training given and ongoing support, with good perks, including a pension.

 Witness care officers

Previous administrative experience and a desire to help others led Ellie to join the Administration of Justice as a witness care officer five years ago.

“Friends often come to me for support and guidance, and I feel I’m an approachable person which lends itself well to this role, allowing me to communicate sensitively and efficiently,” said Ellie.

“When you help people throughout the court process and justice prevails, it is extremely rewarding. You truly feel like you make a difference to someone’s life and that you have contributed to something bigger than yourself.”

Witness care officers provide a single point of contact for victims and witnesses of crime, supporting them throughout the court and criminal process. They advise them on the outcome of court hearings, ensure safeguarding from defendants and signpost them to outside organisations that can help them further.

They also gain an impressive skillset, from administrative and communication skills to a deep insight into policing and the Criminal Justice System.

Ellie has worked within the team in a range of different roles, starting as a witness care officer before becoming a witness care coordinator. She is currently in a new role as a Team Leader.

Reflecting on her role, Ellie said: “It is a rewarding job that gives support to people when they need it and provides a great stepping-stone into the world of policing. It is also varied work because, while it has day-to-day structure, no two days are the same.

“We have an amazing team that deliver an exceptional service. The office environment is friendly, outgoing and extremely supportive. There is no one on the team you can’t ask a question to, and help is always given. Right now, we’re looking for new Witness Care Officers to join us.”

Transferee police officers

Superintendent Elaina Usher transferred to Hertfordshire from the Metropolitan Police and oversees our Force Communications Room (FCR) where call handers answer 999 and non-emergency 101 calls.

Talking about the benefits of transferring to Herts, Elaina said: “I can honestly say I have been struck by how friendly and welcoming everyone has been and the great thing here is that you’re a person – not a number.

“Also, the commute! I am now a 10-minute drive from work, which is a lot different from my three hour round trip when I was posted to Brixton. And that is the thing with the Met, you can be posted anywhere in Greater London.

“I originally joined the Met when I lived in London, however several years ago I moved to Herts and since then it had been on my mind to transfer to my local force where I feel I can directly make a difference to the communities of Hertfordshire.

“Within the FCR, I am ultimately responsible for the support of more than 300 people responding to the public’s calls for assistance and helping to keep the people of Hertfordshire safe.

“It is often my department that has the first contact with members of the public in their moment of need, helping to bring them to safety with compassion, composure and professionalism.

“I think policing is an absolute privilege and I love my job.”

 

Check out some of our careers videos here: https://youtube.com/playlist?list=PLKftfIiN8JFJ8H5inS2NBC-ECdKPDe9WA