The Police Service is one of the most respected and trusted organisations in the UK. As a Police Officer, you would be responsible for safeguarding the residents of the community that you are policing, and instilling a sense of trust. But what are the pros and cons of becoming a police officer? How2Become decided to investigate…
The Benefits
It’s rewarding. The biggest benefit to becoming a police officer is that, on a personal level, it’s extremely rewarding. As a police officer, you will be responsible for improving community relationships and protecting civilian rights. You will be seen as a pillar of the community, and someone whom people can trust. At times, you may even be required to save lives.
It’s challenging. If you are looking for a career that will challenge you and push you to your limits, then police work could be perfect for you. The nature of the job means that every day is extremely varied, and will bring new difficulties to overcome. Working as a police officer will take you to new places and locations, and bring you into contact with all different kinds of people. You need to be someone who is assertive, confident and accepting of people from all cultures and walks of life.
It’s a learning experience. Working as a police officer will teach you a great many things, and lead to significant self-improvement. Along with the people you’ll meet, working in the police service will ultimately help you to mature and grow as a person. Along with the responsibility that you will take on, you’ll also hold responsibility for your colleagues/other members of your police unit, the public and in representing the name of the UK Police Service. Along with this, the opportunities for progression are endless, and hard work will see you swiftly rise within the service.
The Disadvantages
It’s dangerous. There is no disguising the fact that police work is often extremely dangerous, and therefore it’s not for everyone. As a police officer, you will be responsible for tackling dangerous criminals, in a direct manner. That means that there are times when you may have to give chase, or even physically restrain/subdue individuals who have intention to hurt you or others. If you aren’t prepared to do this, then you might need to reconsider this as a choice of career.
It’s emotionally challenging. While police work will bring you a range of new experiences, not all of these experiences will necessarily be positive. Crime has an impact, and as a police officer it is your job to deal with this impact. That means that there are times when you will have to deal with unhappy or devastated victims of crime. You might see people being shot or stabbed, you might have to break up fights or deal with drug related incidents. It’s important that you are someone who is emotionally prepared to handle all of this.
Dealing with the public. While the police service are still held in high regard by the majority of people, their reputation has diminished slightly in the past decade or so. What this means is that there are some people who no longer trust the police service, and are quite prepared to show their opinion. This has not been helped by budget cuts, which mean some police officers struggle to do their jobs effectively. As a police officer, you’ll have to deal with the resources at your disposal, even if these are sometimes limited. This can be frustrating, as can attempts to change public opinion. However, if you work to the best of your ability, there is no doubt that you can make a difference to the reputation of the service as a whole.
To apply for police roles, check out the official PoliceCouldYou website!
