Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) Specialist Policing - Who we are and what we do
Category: Job Finding
Publish date: 22/09/2022
Join our Force with a difference…
We deliver unique specialist policing to protect the nations defences and national infrastructure, including its sites, people, assets and local communities.
With specialist police firearms training from the outset, as well as lots of opportunities to develop further in specialist roles, the Ministry of Defence Police (MDP) could offer you far more than you may first imagine.
To find out more about a career with the MDP, visit: www.mod.police.uk. You may also be interested in working for the MDP in a civilian role, whether that’s in IT, Finance, procurement or HR. Please see the Civil Service Jobs website for advertised vacancies, please click here.
People join us from all walks of life, and we always welcome Service leavers with their wealth of transferable skills, abilities, and experiences. A career in the MDP could be the perfect pathway for you, offering the opportunity to continue working in a role that supports UK national security. You’ll learn new skills and liaise with a range of policing and security partners, as well as professional bodies and teams, in and outside the wire.
About Ministry of Defence Police
Who we are
The Ministry of Defence Police, more commonly known as the MOD Police or the MDP are a national civilian police force serving Defence and other UK government departments, including US Visiting Forces. We are a specialist police force deploying the majority of officers as Authorised Firearms Officers (AFOs)
Eligibility Criteria
- You must hold a full UK manual car driving licence with no more than six penalty points at the point of application.
- If you’re joining as a new recruit, you must have a Level 2 qualification in English and Maths and be able to provide relevant certificates.
- You will need to be physically fit, and will be required to pass the Multi-Stage Fitness Test – commonly known as the Bleep Test – by achieving a minimum of level 7:6.
- To meet national security vetting requirements, you must have resided continuously in the UK for a minimum of five years immediately prior to your application to join MDP, with any absence from the UK being no more than six months during that time. If you’ve resided abroad due to serving in the British Armed Forces or on UK Government service, you are still considered to have been resident in the UK.
- You should not have tattoos which could be considered discriminatory, racist, sexist, sectarian, homophobic, violent, intimidating or offensive. Tattoos on the face that are non-medical or not as a result of cosmetic surgery will result in automatic rejection.
Did You Know?
- We are not a Home Office Police Force, but we do work closely with colleagues in local police services to protect the wider communities that we serve together. We can also be called upon to provide mutual aid and specialist policing support.
- We are not ‘military police’ – unlike our service police colleagues with whom we work closely, our officers’ jurisdiction extends outside the Defence estate, and we have full powers and privileges of constables, identical to other civil police officers in the UK.
- Although our work is primarily focused on armed security and the guarding of sensitive sites and assets, there is much more to what we do. This includes a range of specialisms from dog handling to marine policing, Crime Command to Public Order, and Defence community policing to protester removal.
- All MDP officers must be prepared to carry a firearm and as part of your training must successfully complete the MDP firearms training course.
- Counter terrorism policing is a major part of our role, and we can and have been called upon as part of the national armed policing response to major incidents.
- Our policing mission is supported by around 260 civilian staff in a range of roles from finance and HR, to procurement, Control Room operators, kennel assistants and business managers.
Locations
From the Scottish Highlands to the Southwest coast, our officers and civilian staff are based at defence and national infrastructure sites of critical importance, across the UK. These include Faslane and Coulport on the Clyde, the Atomic Weapons Establishment sites at Aldermaston and Burghfield, Portsmouth and Devonport naval bases, US visiting Forces bases, Defence munition establishments and various other Defence sites including Defence HQ in Whitehall.
Diversity and inclusion
We support, recognise and nurture the talents and skills of staff from all backgrounds, and are committed to continue building an organisation that is representative of the diverse communities we serve.
Case Study
Name: Sarah
Role: Marine Unit Officer
Application process
"My final posting with the RAF was at Linton–on–Ouse. As this was a small station, anyone who wasn’t in military uniform stuck out like a sore thumb, so when the MDP turned up in police vehicles, wearing all black, you couldn’t really miss them. I spoke to a couple of the officers about who they were and what they did. This sparked my interest, and I started my research.
"As a result of having surgery and leaving the military whilst still on crutches, I knew I would have a way to go before passing any fitness tests or medicals. And so I started working in hospital theatres, mainly orthopaedics.
"Once I was able to start running again, I decided to apply for the MDP. At first, I didn’t get my hopes up. I thought that my injury may stop me joining and that I could be turned away, but there was no harm in at least trying. Despite my reservations, I passed my interviews and assessments and managed to pass my medical. The fitness test was no problem for my ankle at all. I was offered a position as an Authorised Firearms Officer and started my training in 2017.
"I now work on the MDP Marine Unit, and I still have that close connection to the military that I missed whilst working in the hospital.
Why a career with MDP was the right choice for me
"Being part of the police family presents the same solidarity I felt when serving in the military. Working at Defence sites, you have familiarity with your surroundings and communities from your very first day. The police rank structure is also something that you can easily relate to, understand and respect having come from the Armed Forces.
"Other aspects of life in the MDP that I felt very well equipped to deal with were that I already knew and understood discipline, how to march and look after my kit. Being around weapons and ammunition is second nature too.
"For me, fitness has always been part of my life. Completing bleep tests is something that all Armed Forces personnel do. While fitness training is not regimented in the MDP, it is an operational requirement; and everyone is encouraged and supported to manage their own fitness and make use of site gyms where possible.
"With the MDP, you can stay at one station without the prospect of being moved every few years. However, if you do want to move, there are opportunities to do so upon completion of probation. Likewise, you can put yourself forward for overtime and be deployed away from home on short-term operations that are detached from your regular work.
"The sense of security and ability to settle down that my role with the MDP has given me and my family is great, and I’m so glad to still be working in Defence – its where I feel that I belong.
CTP Online MDP Information Event and Recruitment Opportunities
To find out more and speak with other ex-military staff now working with the MDP, please join us from 10am on 6th October 2022 at the CTP Employment Fair in Southampton, as well as in Newark on 10th November 2022.
To register your interest with MDP and to receive a notification of recruitment opportunities, please visit our website.
You can also search Ministry of Defence Police on the CTP’s online job portal, RightJob, for our latest vacancies.