Opportunities Beyond Your Probation

Make it a Career

There are a range of exciting opportunities open to you after you complete your two year probationary period and have also completed your one year commitment period to your initial District. You may choose to stay within the Local Policing Team, or to apply for a Specialist role.

Please check the pods below to explore where your career with the Police Service of Northern Ireland may lead you.

Core Roles

New Constables will spend the first three years attached to Local Policing Teams. You may wish to continue serving in Local Policing Teams however once confirmed in rank and having also completed your one year commitment period, a range of opportunities open up across the Service. Furthermore you may wish to seek promotion through the ranks as follows:

Constable
Sergeant
Inspector
Chief Inspector
Super
intendent
Chief Super
intendent
Assistant Chief Constable
Deputy Chief Constable
Chief Constable

Constable – Constables are responsible for keeping people safe, the protection of life and property, preventing harm, protecting the vulnerable, the prevention and detection of crime, detecting offenders, and the maintenance of public order
Sergeant – Working mainly in Local Policing Teams, Sergeants will supervise their teams as part of the frontline of community engagement and the criminal justice system. They will also oversee the identification, monitoring and response to local community issues.
Inspector – Inspectors are responsible for planning, organising and authorising a variety of tasks. Working mainly within Local Policing Teams, they will assign geographical ownership, monitor and ensure engagement with purpose is embedded.
Chief Inspector - This is a middle management role in the delivery of policing services. The purpose of this role is to co-ordinate the work of teams of constables, sergeants, inspectors and police staff and/or management of a department with specific geographical or functional responsibility for the delivery of a range of diverse policing services.
Superintendent - This is a senior management role in the delivery of policing services. The purpose of this role is responsibility for setting of strategy, standards and day to day operational policy across a single department or a range of policing responsibilities, and authorising operational activity in line with legislative powers accorded to the rank.
Chief Superintendent - This is the most senior local or departmental police manager role in the delivery of policing services. The purpose of this role is leadership in the development of strategy, standards and operational policy and authorising operational activity in line with legislative powers according to the rank. The role also entails responsibility for commanding larger departments, or larger geographical areas, on a day to day basis.
Assistant Chief Constable – ACCs direct and manage those areas of the PSNI as allocated by the Chief Constable and Deputy Chief Constable. ACCs are responsible either for a given territorial area or for a major functional Department or combination of Departments.
Deputy Chief Constable – Responsible for directing and co-ordinating the aspects of Service Operations and Support Services as directed by the Chief Constable and as part of the Service Executive Team. The DCC will preside at disciplinary hearings and appeals in accordance with current service policy.
Chief Constable – The most senior leader of the organisation, the Chief Constable has a duty to lead, manage and control the PSNI in providing an effective, efficient, impartial and accountable policing service. The CC is accountable to the Northern Ireland Policing Board in the prevention and detection of crime, maintaining public order and the rule of law.

If you wish to take your police career in a particular direction see the Specialist Roles section for some examples and for further information.

Specialist Roles

Click on the photos below for more information on some of the specialisms.

Roads Policing

Role of a PSNI Roads Policing Officer

Contributes to NI Road safety by promoting and applying the globally recognised Safe System Approach: Safe People, Safe Vehicles, and Safe Roads.

Works to prevent loss of life and injury on our roads through the prevention, investigation, and prosecution of offences, guided by intelligence-led policing.

Key responsibilities include:

Promote efficient and safe flow of traffic across local road and strategic networks
Operate patrol vehicles at the appropriate level to effectively support road policing activities
Maintain a visible presence on the roads by conducting designated and proactive patrols, using intelligence and/or Automated Number Plate Recognition (ANPR) systems to deter crime, reassure the community, and reduce fear of crime
Apply specialist driving skills and pre-emptive methods to achieve safe and effective resolutions when dealing with vehicles which fail to stop
Provide expert knowledge on drink- and drug-driving legislation to support road safety, initiatives, investigations and prosecutions
Deliver educational initiatives to encourage safe road use within the community and reduce road-related casualties
Lead the primary investigation of road related incidents
Manage and control scenes of road incidents - including those of a fatal, serious, or life-altering nature - in accordance with JESIP principles, ensuring a safe working environment, preserving evidence, and protecting life
Engage with, support, and interview victims, witnesses, and suspects in relation to relevant offences, gathering information to advance law enforcement.
Provide specially trained Motorcycles resources to manage VIP Escorts
Conduct Vehicle Examinations to effectively support criminal investigations
Operate Water Cannon during public order incidents to increase public safety

Tactical Support Group

Providing an effective, efficient, high quality approach to policing demands in the Police Service of Northern Ireland, with specialist capability in search and public order.

Prepare for and participate in operations to combat crime and enhance community safety
Provide an effective response to support the successful delivery of public safety events and respond to incidents of public disorder
Carry out in-depth searches of vehicles, premises and open areas
Provide specialist support to maritime, roads policing and safe transport operations

Detective

Conduct investigations from crime scene to conclusion seeking prosecutions for the more serious and complex criminal cases on behalf of victims and the community.

Key responsibilities include:

Crime scene attendance to understand the crime and coordinate with CSI’s and other disciplines for evidence recording and gathering
Identification and exploitation of main lines of enquiry to further the identification of suspects, working with other specialists if required
Interviews of victims, witnesses and suspects to gain evidence and test accounts
Victim and witness care and if necessary safeguarding
Case building and developing evidence to present to the Public Prosecution Service (PPS)
Work in partnership with the PPS to deliver professional prosecutions and seek justice on behalf of the victim and wider society
Effect arrests processing detained persons through custody
Obtain and execute search warrants aligned to appropriate risk assessments
Work collaboratively with internal and external partners in order to maintain safe, confident, engaged and supportive communities
Adhere to local policies and procedures

Public Protection

Specialist investigators investigate some of the most serious crime, against some of the most vulnerable people in our communities.

Public Protection Branch is made up of the following:

Child Abuse Investigation Unit (CAIU) (Includes Non-Recent Child Abuse Team-NCAT)
Domestic Abuse
Adult Safeguarding
Offender Investigation Unit (OIU)
Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)
Multi-agency Public Protection Team (PPT)
Public Protection Arrangements NI Links (PPANI)
Child Internet Protection Team (CIPT) & Victim Identification and Image Grading (VIIG)
Rape Crime Unit (RCU)
Central Referral Unit (CRU)

Domestic Abuse

Domestic Abuse has a devastating impact on both individuals and their families. It is defined as threatening, controlling, coercive behaviour, violence or abuse (both psychological and physical) inflicted on anyone by a current or former intimate partner or family member. Domestic Abuse is a pattern of behaviour which encompasses many different types of abuser tactics, including sexual offending. These investigations can involve perpetrators use of blackmail and coercion of a partner for sexual gratification, as well as other forms of sexual abuse such as unwanted sexual touching, infliction of pain, refusal to use contraception, exploitation through the taking of photos and videos without the victims knowledge or consent, amongst others. As part of a Local Policing Team, you will investigate cases of domestic and sexual abuse, carry out safeguarding of victims and their children, and deal with perpetrators. PSNI's Public Protection Branch affords officers the chance to become a Detective specialising in cases of domestic abuse where victims are deemed to be high risk, and also to work within the Rape Crime Unit, investigating offences of Rape and Sexual Assault.

Case study: Child Sexual Exploitation (CSE)

Do you have the skills to spot the signs?

Child sexual exploitation is a form of child sexual abuse. It occurs where an individual or group takes advantage of an imbalance of power to coerce, manipulate or deceive a child or young person under the age of 18 into sexual activity (a) in exchange for something the victim needs or wants, and/or (b) for the financial advantage or increased status of the perpetrator or facilitator. The victim may have been sexually exploited even if the sexual activity appears consensual. Child sexual exploitation does not always involve physical contact; it can also occur through the use of technology.

It is important to point out that the ‘something’ may not always be tangible items such as food, drugs, alcohol or money, but also can include intangible items such as perceived affection, protection or a sense of belonging.

Close Protection

Providing discreet unobtrusive armed protection to protected persons (Principals). All Close Protection Officers are nationally qualified as Authorised Firearms Officers in line with the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC).

Key responsibilities include:

Acting as a Personal Protection Officer (PPO) for Principals
Ensuring the safety of the principals at all times
Planning, briefing and debriefing Close Protection Operations
Partnership working with stakeholders

Skills and qualifications required...

Exceptional communication skills
Ability to show initiative and problem solve
High levels of forward thinking organisational skills
Aptitude for driving
Physical fitness
Be confidential and discreet
Navigational skills including map reading
High levels of firearms training

Stepping Stones to CPU...

Intensive selection process
Physical Competency Assessment
Firearms assessment
Scenarios to test an officer's communications skills, tactical awareness and use of force
10 weeks National Protection Officer's Course
1 year probationary period
Advanced Driving Courses
Other courses as required within the role

Intelligence

Intelligence supports police operations against Child Sexual Exploitation, cyber-enabled crime, Human Trafficking, drugs, robbery, paramilitarism and a wide range of national security threats.

Key responsibilities include:

Conduct intelligence driven briefing, tasking and debriefing
Plan, prepare and conduct intelligence operations
Evaluate information to determine its intelligence potential
Make applications for authorisations for police activity in line with the Regulation of Investigatory Powers (RIPA) Act 2000 or Investigatory Powers Act 2016.
Produce intelligence products, which are used by decision makers to inform their considerations on what action to take to keep people safe.

Training

To equip you for a role in Intelligence branch you will receive accredited training, on how to handle, grade and sanitise information to protect the confidentiality of the person providing it through to specific analytical training. You must have completed your probation, ordinarily be operationally fit prior to applying and have a police driving card. Officers who apply will go through a number of assessments and development as follows:

Legislative and policy Assessment: Knowledge of legislation and policy pertinent to the role of Intelligence Officer
An assessment period examining the officers’ ability and competency in relation to the National Occupational Standards for the role
Relevant bespoke training
Completion of relevant vetting procedure
Completion of one year probation which includes continuous professional developmental courses and development portfolio leading to a University accredited Diploma

Dog Handler

To utilise police dogs to prevent and respond to crime and disorder.

Key responsibilities include:

Contribute to the security of the custodial environment using a dog
Monitor, maintain the health, wellbeing and safety of dogs
Detain persons using dogs
Deploy at Public Order Public Safety Events
Manage performance of dogs

Cyber Crime

Keeping individuals and communities safe from crimes such as fraud, human exploitation, illegal commodity supply, hate crime and hacking.

Key responsibilities include:

Conduct digital forensic examination of computers, mobile phones and other internet connected devices
Produce CCTV in an evidential format to support investigating officers
Support complex investigations into offences such as murder and child sexual exploitation
Review and interpret this data to an evidential standard in support of the criminal justice system
Innovation, ensuring the PSNI continues to meet the demand of modern criminality
Conduct complex investigations regarding Computer Misuse Act offending
Protect Businesses, SME and local government from falling victim to cyber criminality
Preventing young persons from engaging in cyber criminality

Career Progression and Ongoing Training

Career Development and Promotion Process

Within the police service being a leader is not just about rank or grade; individuals at every level are being exposed to situations requiring them to demonstrate leadership ability. The nature of the service we deliver and the role we perform in society brings with it significant responsibility and an expectation that everyone in our organisation is capable of fulfilling a leadership role.

The PSNI take a pragmatic approach to developing our leaders and managers; one that recognises both the organisation's and the individual’s responsibility and contribution with regards their own development at the various levels of police leadership.

The PSNI has a range of tools that are designed to support individuals in their development such as our Career Development Road map and Career Development Matrix, which allow individuals and Managers to consider current performance and potential.

We offer a wide range of professional development & learning programmes and through our Coaching for ALL scheme provide dedicated coaches and mentors to support individuals in their roles and with career development aspirations.

The PSNI offering includes specialist as well as generalist policing roles. In addition to normal promotions and selection, we also participate in the College of Policing Fast Track schemes for Constable to Inspector and to Inspector to Superintendent.

Fast Track Programme

The Police Service of Northern Ireland is committed to attracting, developing, progressing and retaining highly talented officers.

The Fast Track Programme is a development and promotion mechanism used to enable the most talented to advance to the rank of Inspector within two years.

The Fast Track Programme focuses on leadership, management and the provision of operational skills, knowledge and experience, and provides an understanding of policy and practice through study and practical experience.

On completion, you will have:

Achieved a pass at PSNI Inspector's promotion exam
Achieved all learning standards within the core leadership programme at the rank of sergeant
Performed effectively in the rank of sergeant in line with the core competencies of the rank
Demonstrated readiness for promotion to Inspector

Internal Training

Mandatory Training

Training will continue to be a vital aspect of your role and courses are run locally within your district, department and at the Police College.

The mandatory training courses that you will continue to complete during your time as an officer are outlined below:

Operational Firearms

To train police officers in Tactical Firearms skills commensurate with the core skills profile. Police officers are required to carry out this training twice a year.

First Aid

Course aim:

To enable you to achieve competency in skills necessary to provide initial assistance or treatment to someone who is injured or suddenly taken ill. Police officers are required to carry out this training once every three years.

Personal Safety Programme (PSP)

Course aim:

To provide you with the necessary skills, knowledge and understanding to enable you to manage conflict and ensure the safety of police officers and the public whilst carrying out your duties. Police officers are required to carry out this training once a year.

The Police College offers a range of courses across the following faculties to support your career journey in PSNI -

Tactical training
Custody
Crime
Neighbourhood
Leadership and Organisational Development
Learning Technology
Trainer Development

Training and development opportunities as your career progresses

Throughout your learning and development journey you’ll be encouraged to maximise your potential.

Within the Police Service of Northern Ireland you will have the opportunity to progress in your career and continually develop. A range of processes and programmes are in place to help facilitate this:

Leadership Training and Organisational Development (L&OD) Faculty

The L&OD faculty supports the development of both individuals and teams, across the organisation. Programmes and products have been designed to deliver the ambitions of the PSNI People and Culture Strategy 2020-25 and are underpinned by the Competency & Values Framework (CVF) and the PSNI Management and Leadership Framework (MLDF).

More details of the programmes on offer are available in our prospectus: L&OD Faculty Prospectus.

Professional Development Review

The Police Service of Northern Ireland has an established culture of continuous professional development linked to the Internal Professional Development Review (PDR) system. Individuals will use the PDR platform as a means to strive for continuous performance development. Within the PDR, which is led through line management, continuous performance conversations will be held on a regular basis to reflect your progress, achievements, support needed and identify any development requirements.