Overview
RAF Police play a crucial part in Force Protection and fulfil a number of exciting and challenging roles. RAF Police personnel are established at most RAF units within the UK and provide critical support to operations overseas. During your career in the RAF Police you could be involved in:
• General Policing Duties including:
Patrolling and responding to critical incidents
Liaison with local police and security organisations
Surveillance
Patrols
Air transportation security
Support to major events and incidents
Protection of lines of communication when deployed overseas
Search duties
Close protection (bodyguarding)
• Investigations including:
Criminal and security investigations
Computer forensics
Crime scene examination
Criminal intelligence
Child support and Domestic Violence
• RAF Police Dog handling duties including:
Patrol dogs
Search dogs (ammunition and explosives)
• Security including:
Advice on Security Risk Management
Operational threat assessments and advice
Personnel security such as security education, vetting and screening
Information security
Security surveys
There are early opportunities to travel overseas and at all times you will be relied upon to make decisions and use your initiative to protect RAF personnel and vital assets from the various threats they face, such as organized crime, terrorists or foreign intelligence services. Later on in your career you could specialise and carry out criminal and security investigations or provide advice and support relating to the protection of vital assets and information.
Like most people in the RAF, you’ll probably move jobs every few years, and each job is known as a tour.
Your first tour
For your first tour, you’ll carry out general policing duties either at a RAF unit or you could begin your work as a dog handler. Police work can be physically demanding and you will have to be prepared to work at night and in all weather.
Your training
Recruit training
Your career will start with nine weeks of recruit training at RAF Halton in Buckinghamshire. The course is designed to help you adjust to a military environment. As well as fitness and military training, you will also learn about the RAF lifestyle.
Specialist training
The next step is a 23-week specialist training course at the Defence Police College at Southwick Park, in Hampshire. You’ll learn the essential skills you’ll need to do your job, including your duties and responsibilities, criminal law, how to conduct investigations, interview techniques, driver training, arrest and restraint techniques and enhanced military skills and weapon training. You’ll also have one week of adventurous training.
If you have volunteered for dog-handling duties, you’ll have a further three weeks of training where you’ll team up with an RAF Police dog.
During your specialist training course, you’ll be enrolled on an Apprenticeship. Once you finish the course, and have gained some practical work experience, you will be awarded a Professional Technical Certificate and an NVQ Level 2 in Security, Safety and Loss Prevention. At the end of the course, you’ll get your first posting.
Ongoing development
As your career progresses, we’ll continue to train you in new skills. You’ll have opportunities to attend many different courses in areas such as counter-intelligence, criminal investigation, close protection and protective security, as well as management and leadership training. If you volunteer as a dog handler, you may be selected to work with specialist search dogs.
Your future
Prospects
You’ll initially join the RAF for a period of nine years. Once you’ve successfully completed the specialist RAF Police training, you’ll be promoted to the rank of acting Corporal. Further promotion to full Corporal and beyond is by competitive selection.
Transferable skills
The NVQ and specialist skills you can gain during your service are as valuable in the civilian world as they are in the RAF – which means that whenever you decide to leave the RAF, you’ll be well placed to find another job, for example:
• Police officer
• Security officer
• Crime prevention officer
• Fraud investigator
Entry qualifications
Age limits
18–33
Physical requirements
You must have a sense of smell.
Academic qualifications
GCSE/SCEs at Grade G/6 in English language and maths.
Additional requirement
You must have a full driving licence.
Entry test
You must pass a test at the AFCO.
Nationality
You must have been a British citizen or holder of dual British/other nationality since birth.
Residency
Whether or not you were born in the United Kingdom, you should normally have resided there for the three years immediately preceding your application.
Equal opportunities
The RAF values every individual’s unique contribution, irrespective of race, ethnic origin, religion, gender, sexual orientation or social background.
RAF careers could be based anywhere in the UK, please ensure you are fully aware before applying - are you up for the Challenge?