Other roles

There are many other opportunities to work for the police, aside from the uniformed officers, special constables and police community support officers you see on the streets.

Support roles

The support roles employed by the police service play a vital role in ensuring the service runs efficiently and effectively, working in partnership with those in uniform.

Each force tends to operate slightly differently and may have very different job roles, so you should contact your local force to discuss the opportunities available. Below are some examples of the kind of roles you might be able to do:

• analyst - provides analytical support by collating and studying information to help detect and reduce crime
• call handler - provides a professional response to calls received
• front counter personnel - mans the front counter and answer enquiries
• librarian - provides an efficient library service

Volunteer support staff

There are a number of volunteer roles available for people interested in working with the police. Forces have different needs, so contact your local force for details of the volunteering opportunities in your area.

As a volunteer, you could find yourself doing a number of tasks, including:

• helping the regular support staff in administration or communications work working to support other police service volunteers, like special constables and police cadets
• acting as a first-line interpreter
• helping witnesses
• giving station tours.

Cadets

If you're aged between 16 and 18 and you can't wait to get a taste of what it's like to be a police officer, you could join the police cadets now. There are lots of police cadet schemes around the UK, contact your local force for details of their scheme.