police officer

detective

communications officer

police sergeant

shift leader

Metropolitan Police

*Arrive for early/late of night shift.
* get a handover from the outgoing controller covering, the amout of calls being dealt with/awaiting deployment/any risky calls, any special ops for the day or messahes from the borough Inspector, how many cells are free for prisoners and any other information needed for the shift ahead.
*Sit down and log on to the ragio, the Police National Computer, The Command and control Computer (inc mapping and GPS on officers positions) and email.
*Check todays borough briefing Via Aware.
*Fill in my area of the handover excell document.  Information relating to staffing levels at control and on borough, cell space, which inspector is on duty on the borough and and calls that need to be attended ASAP or have level of RISK involved.
*Continuously fill above speadsheet in throughout the shift, with any calls that have had their target time missed, and the reasons why.  Any major/critical incidents and anything that would have affected performance or needs to be brought to the atention of the Senior Management.
*Book in team members as they arrive, and make sure they sit in their allocated positions.
*Deal with any early staffing issues.  Such as lack of staff or lack of trained staff in the areas they are needed, since everyone has a different skill level.
*Continuously monitor via the CAD and the radio, incomming and outgoing communications.
*Assist Dispatchers during busy times or when short of staff,
*Put in a conference call at 10am with the Senior management team of the borough.  Discuss performance, staffing levels, issues or inciidents of note.  This often involves having to justify why the Police have missed at Target Response Time to Officers of rank Superintendant and above. (There were not enough Police Officers does not cut it)
*Continuosly monitor incomming unassigned incidents and assess their grading and ensure all the required information has been provided by the call taker.
*Continuously assess and manage assigned incidents to ensure they are being handled correctly.
*Have a cup of tea.
*Monitor the complted incident list and check each incident has been dealt with correctly and hold all the required information before closing it.
Read emails and forward to staff if required.
*Add to line managed staffs Personal Development Reports on an adhoc basis.
*Attend and hold disciplinary hearings/proceedures.
*complete 2 QA checks on 2 members of staff per shift.
*Complete 2 data protection checks on 2 members of staff per shift.
*Cover for other controllers when they are on breaks.
*Make phone calls as neccessary to victims/Police contacts or outside agencies.
*Advise the Duty Officer of any calls that are likely to go over their TRT.
Continue as above until the end of the shift, then....
*Complete the final part of the daily speadsheet indicationg total amount of calls with missed TRT's, Cell space information and any other information of note from the shift.
*Hand over to incomming Controller.
*Go home.

Being a PC in the Met is a real mixed blessing. For the first two to three years in the job, or during your probationary period at least, expect to be treated a bit like a child at times. As a newbie you are the lowest of the low. That is just the nature of the job and the culture of the organisation. It's a right of passage and you have to prove yourself worthy of respect and gain the confidence of colleagues on team, line manager and those above you in the hierarchy/pecking order. For some this comes quicker than for others. There is so much to learn and adjust to it takes a long time to get on top of the job so you are always reliant on more experienced colleagues to help you along. Some say it takes 5 to 10 years to make a police officer. The foundation training is good but only goes so far, the real learning is on the job. If you have the ability, patience and self-confidence to get through your probation then it's a job for life if you want that. If, however, you struggle through probation (as I did at times) and feel your confidence being eroded instead of increasing, then the job is probably not for you. 

I went in at a mature age. For some that's ok, especially if they are super fit and maybe ex armed forces. But bear in mind if you join in your 40's or 50's you will be working alongside people much younger than you and your supervisors might also be younger or the same age. Also considering how long it takes to settle into the job (years not months), time is not on your side if you go in later in life, particularly when it comes to specialising or promotion. It is a very physical and arduous job, not all the time but frequently, so joining when you are younger is generally advisable. 

The ideal police officer is physically and mentally strong, resilient, confident, and thick skinned though empathetic, good with people and adaptable. That's regardless of where you end up in the job. The importance of keeping yourself fit and healthy cannot be stressed enough - eat well, sleep well and exercise. This job is not for everyone and the bureaucracy of the organisation can feel overwhelming at times. There is a vast amount of computer work involved as well as the hands on physical stuff. It's an all consuming job, there's not much time for a life outside of work. Go to work, eat, sleep, that's about it. On rest days, unless you are a really active person that doesn't need much sleep, all you want to do is rest. If you are truly passionate about policing go for it, if you're not sure think very carefully if this is for you before applying. 



When I started in the Met Police I was enthusiastic, keen and optimistic for the future. I feel this even back in 2018 was a great job with decent morale.  I was excited to be at the start of my policing career and looking forward to eventually when I was ready going up to PC rank.

As a Special Constable, I joined as a volunteer, meaning I would get fairly limited expenses and wouldn't really be paid for the hours I worked (something now I feel is very wrong. Specials should be paid some sort of financial compensation for the commitments that come along with being a special constable!!)

I continued to work through the pandemic and at times was doing full-time alongside my PC regular colleagues. I burned out around the end of the pandemic and realized I just didn't want to continue as a Special Constable. My goal had been to eventually join as a PC but honestly I was put off by the conditions and the degree requirement which became mandatory to either be working towards a degree or have a degree to be a PC - something I firmly oppose. I resigned from the Special Constabulary in January 2022

The Met could be a fantastic and at times working for the Met has been the best job in the world. I have saved a life and got people the help they needed at their worst moments. I've also had the chance to lock up some pretty nasty people too. I was proud to be a Special Constable and I do miss it a lot. But I just felt that even as an SC it was taking too much of my personal time, and after I decided I didn't want to consider a career as a PC anymore I decided I was done.

The Met is in a pretty terrible state and at the time I left central west BCU was "resignation central".  Understandably, people are getting out of the job now. It's a mess like most other public services and chronologically underfunded. Stress levels are through the rough and the culture has really become exceptionally toxic, Officers mental health is suffering because of this. To give you an idea of how bad the situation is, I worked with 2 police colleagues who have ended up on a psych ward due to mental health reasons. Sadly, both have now left the job from what I gather.

Don't join the Met Police, at least at the moment. Media hates you, public doesn't like you and the senior management make your life a misery.

DDOs play a vital role in the smooth running of our custody suites. You’ll support the Custody Sergeant in dealing with detainees that walk through our doors, with the collective aim to provide a safe custody environment in which the rights and entitlements of those detained are protected. Detainees may be facing the most difficult day of their lives when you meet them, and part of our role is to enable access to the necessary support services that may provide a lifeline to somebody in need.

No two days are the same, but on an average day you can expect to:

    Input the details of detainees into our electronic custody system.
    Maintain system logs in respect of activities throughout a detainee’s time in custody.
    Cell visits and monitoring, dealing with calls for attention from detainees.
    Taking fingerprints and footwear impressions of detainees.
    Drug testing procedures with detainees.
    Collection of non-intimate samples with or without detainee consent.
    Fielding of telephone calls from those who need access to the custody suite or detainees eg. health-care professionals, solicitors, other MPS employees etc.
    Supporting detainees with general welfare duties.
    Arranging and delivering meals to detainees, paying regard to specific dietary requirements.
    Attending court and providing evidence when required.
    Providing assurance that calls are maintained and presentable for use by the next detainee.

You will work as part of a team, under the supervision of a Custody Sergeant. You’ll give each other support, and work as a family to ensure the smooth running of the custody suite. When the going gets particularly tough, you’ll appreciate the team camaraderie that makes working in this environment so unique.

Being a DDO isn’t easy, but if you can do all of the above and still shrug off your experiences at the end of the day, you’ll be rewarded with an immensely satisfying job that’s never dull, as well as the opportunity to make a real difference to the community and London itself.
Do you have a say in where and when you work?

We operate 24/7, 365 days of the year, so you will work to a shift pattern. We work to one shift pattern across the custody suites, where you’ll work 12 hour shifts with rest days. The typical shift pattern looks as follows:

Typical Day,  consisted of :- Briefing my officers on current crime trends and events in my area of responsibility, Response Team  Westminster Borough, (Liecester Sq, Covent Garden, Soho, Mayfair, Oxford St.) and deploying them to their postings for that day. i.e. Car / foot patrols, security patrol, cime tasking, 999 Response.
I would then complete all admin ASAP and then join my officers out on patrol, ensuring to meet with all officers under my supervision. I would attend all serious calls and assist/supervise and provide a link to my Senior Management Team. I would make decisions at a tactical level and implement any Statagy decisions made by my SMT. I would be responsible for the safety of my officers and the public and ensure that they received the nessessary support accroding to their circumstances.           

What I Learned :- I learned a lot about my personal abillities and how I react to certian circumstances and surprised myself that I work better under pressure or in emergency situations. I learned that I was very good with people, both Colleagues and Public. Very good with HR issues, Welfare, Employment & discipline. Developed an eye for detail & report writing. 

Co Workers :- I had excellent relationships with my co workers as we worked well as a team. I am able to talk to people at all levels and can adjust my communication skills to fit the circumstances presented to me at the time. I am very approachable and able to defuse tensions and make people feel comfortable and listened too.

The hardest part of my role as a police officer would have to be dealing with abused children. Not so much hard to deal with but difficult to put into place, imediately, all the safegarding agencies needed to protect them from harm. Also takes an emotional toll on the officers involved. 

The most enjoyable part of the Job:- All of it !
Knowledge in the fact that you have made a difference to someones life, helped them, rescued them from harm, removed offenders from committing crime and on occasion Saved someones life !

Also enjoyed driving fast cars on a Blue Light !!!

•	By associating myself with professionally driven top Police Officers in a well-respected organization; I have learnt pursuing challenges, responsibility, dynamicity and rewarding possession in accordance with my academic knowledge, expertise, diligence, extensive experience, skills and enthusiasm; which enhanced my career development and contributed effectively to the progress of the organization and the society as well.

•	Nine years of experience in the Intelligence Unit researching and analyzing crimes & criminal activities. 

•	Highly experienced Crime Researcher/Analyst with a track record of good strategies to reduce crimes successfully.

•	Working with the best Intelligence teams & crime investigators to tackle crimes with accordance with all the latest & most sophisticated Intelligence systems in the world.

•	Assisted with Hostage Negotiations on the highest levels, and asked to take part to train a Hostage Negotiation Team from around the world at the Police Crime Academy.

•	Analyze problems & crimes in specific areas & task force teams within the borough to reduce crimes & assisting investigating officers with their investigations by searching all relevant police database to match criminal actives with their Modus operandi, also assisting other departments with their investigations by supplying them with intelligence researches.

•	Oversee all criminal researches. Developed (and implemented) all suspect profiles, reduce crimes, and suggesting strategies; Liaised with managers and supervisors to ensure proper implementation.

•	Projects & strategies focusing on crime reduction; Coached & mentored junior union members, recruiting, interviewing, and selection and hiring of top tier candidates.

•	Bilingual Professional with diverse experience in Customers Service positions. Proven ability to research, identify, and quickly resolve problems. Committed to and recognized for outstanding quality of work and customer service.

I joined Met in my late 40' s and would not recommend to anyone who previously managed a team to try and join Met with the vision of helping people. Although the job itself can be enjoyable but the culture you stepping into is not, colleagues will feedback about you behind your back without you knowing: counting how many coffees you had during your shift, you will have to begg for a toilet break, some seniors buddy colleagues will call themselves mentors and they will do everything that your shifts is so long by taking endless calls and then ending up with 1h only for writing detailed  and very descriptive reports when you only thinking that 2h ago you supposed to finish shift and you are so tired, then you will constantly hear " Welcome to Met" . I was in response at the beginning of my training and I has the worse experience over my 20 years of working career, the senior management does absolutely nothing delegate's all reports down the line and the new recruits ending up with do much to sort out that they don't even know where to start, mentors have no patience and choose who they will help and who will not: in my case the mentor decide a simple elimination, and I could feel it on my 2 and 3 shift by getting questions like: how long I have been leaving in London, as well how easy is to dismis a new recruit, at that time I was not aware that he referred to "me" but gradually all signals were very clear and I could feel the bad atmosphere around. For that reason I have resigned as I did not enjoy, was very stressed,  the support is minimal and the mentors on first shifts decide who they will help ... very sad with shortage in the force they will never repair the damage that was done previously, no chance for Met to get better inside as there are many old school officers with very judgemental mind that will silently do everything to get rid of you especially if you have your own opinion, you are from different country or you slightly do things differently... Good luck to all who can take as much of this!



Typically there is a lot of initial planning and paperwork involved before being able to go out on patrol however this has a purpose as it allows us as officers to know what has been going on in our area, providing us with information regarding criminal activity, where we need to patrol to maintain public confidence in the service and if we need to make any visits to provide support for victims or witnesses.
After the initial office work there is no such thing as a typical day as the role requires us to deal with any situation which presents itself.

I have learned many skills, but the skill I have developed most is how to communicate with a wide variety of audiences and communities during multiple situations whilst maintaining order and providing support and understanding to all parties involved.

The management of the Metropolitan Police varies as there are many managers/ senior officers across every borough, meaning that management styles change depending on the individual and their rank.

Co-workers are one of the best bits of the job besides helping people as the Met is like one big family no matter what stage you are at or what position you are in. Some roles a valued and respected more than others but this is also similar to a family environment. Although the service is professional the people you work with can make the job more enjoyable.

The part of the job I find most difficult is having to deal with an emotional victim, witness or family member, as, as an officer you must maintain the professional image however it is difficult to not let your own emotions take over and become involved in something you believe in rather than the beliefs of the organisation.

The most enjoyable part of the job is helping people and seeing that you have made a positive difference, whether it is just making one personal feel safer by your presence or whether its making a whole community feel safer by preventing crime in their area.

Be so sure before you join. Recruitment do a good job of not telling you the realities of the job. 

Since the starting of the new courses (PCDA & DHEP) there has been a high amount of resignations due to the miss selling of how the job really is. Be ready to deal with colleagues that will report you for anything that is considered “offensive” and also the safety risk of dealing with violent people out on the streets. The amount of paperwork that is needed to be completed will also tie you down further into your shift and the expectation that straight off completion of “street duties”, everyone expects you to know what you’re doing when you’re fresh off the block. 

Your social life will also be non-existent due to the shift patterns you will be undertaking in the job. The expectation to juggle University assignments and exams while your policing conducting your responsibilities in the job can become extremely overwhelming which I mentioned before has caused a lot of good people to resign. They’ll be some days where you wake up before your family does and by the time you come home on some shifts they’ll be asleep by the time you return home. So far my longest shift was 22 hours. Not to mention the closed circles of groups in the Metropolitan Police (response teams) and if you don’t fit into those groups you’ll be ostracised and cast out. 

Overall some days are exciting, the satisfaction of helping victims is something that is unique in itself, the pension scheme is still one of the best out there and The sick pay and other sort of benefits are somewhat acceptable. 

I hope this review is helpful to those that would like to join this job because I know Recruitment didn’t tell me any of this but I understood what this job entailed, however some of the things that I’ve discovered during my time in the place has not been so great. 

Police work can be time consuming, there are so many aspects to policing that cannot all be taught in 18 weeks at Hendon.
However, for the truly dedicated, it can be a fantastic career.
By only for the young, I mean that it is not a career if you have children. The shifts can be murder if you have a young family. Overtime when I was there is compulsory, so a late arrest could add 3 to 4 hours on to the end of your shift, leaving you stuck miles away from home on occasion waiting for the first morning train or tackling the night buses. I found that the only members of my team with kids would always be the married men. Being a lone parent is a no-no, unless you have a very understanding family network willing to step in any hour, any shift pattern.
However, I found the camaraderie good, when the pace was kept to the maximum it could be fast and frenetic, and the buzz of achieving a good result, followed by an extensive investigation, could be second to none.
You can find that your university education is not always an advantage. I learned things on the job that neither Hendon or university had prepared me for, but were also invaluable.
Trust in your colleagues; the older, more established, not the 'career coppers' but those that had stayed in the Borough for some years, 
I would recommend the Met to young coppers, but maybe get a couple of years in beforehand in a 'normal job', coppers can be of a different mindset to civilians, I did train with people a lot younger then me, and there was often a  lack of perspective and empathy, situations being taken at face value through a lack of experience and 'street awareness'.
However, with the right Borough, and right attitude, I do recommend the Met. If it wasn't for my age, and putting a family first, I might still be there.

Top Job Titles	Average salary
Police officer 97 salaries reported	£46,063 per year
Detective 24 salaries reported	£53,554 per year
Communications officer 12 salaries reported	£35,740 per year
Police sergeant 6 salaries reported	£62,333 per year
Shift leader 17 salaries reported	£63,884 per year

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