South Wales Police – a job like no other, join Team SWP today
Category: Recruitment
Publish date: 10/12/2020
South Wales Police is the largest Police Force in Wales, providing our service to approximately 1.3 million people across a diverse region of urban, rural and coastal areas, including the two largest cities in Wales – Swansea and the capital city, Cardiff.
A career in policing is challenging and incredibly diverse. There is a role for everyone, regardless of your skillset and no two days will ever be the same. We offer opportunities in a range of roles from police officers to police staff as well as voluntary roles. Each role is essential in helping us to keep South Wales Safe.
As a Force we have
- 3000 Police Officers
- 2000 Police Staff
- Over 150 Special Constables
Why are we advertising to Service leavers?
We recognise the wide range of skills that you’ve gained from your time in the Armed Forces are great and can easily be transferred to a career within the police.
We know that to have a career in the Armed Forces you’ll have core skills and values including teamwork, leadership, determination and the desire to help people in their times of need. But most of all you’ll bring unrivalled pride, positivity and professionalism to your job, all of which are skills and values that we look for when recruiting into the Force.
Our vacancies are constantly changing and we don’t have any officer recruitment drives open at this moment in time, but we will be looking to recruit again in the New Year! In the meantime follow our Twitter account @SWPJoinUs for up-to-date recruitment drives and individual roles.
Here at South Wales Police we have a strong commitment to increasing equality and diversity within the Force, and believe that those from diverse backgrounds can offer a wide range of skills that can only improve our policing service. Therefore we are proud to work under a Positive Action initiative.
Case Study – PC Richie Steele – Specialist Search Cell
"I joined the British Army in 1990 as a Royal Engineer, wanting to be Physical Training Instructor (PTI). My basic training was conducted in Camberley and I was awarded best at physical training on completion of the course.
I was first posted to Germany on the Army Bridge Building Team before being deployed in 1992 to Yugoslavia for six months. On my return to Germany I gained a position in the regimental gymnasium and passed my Class Three PTI course as a first place student. The following year I completed my Class Two PTI course in Aldershot.
In 1996 I was the British Army powerlifting champion, but due to family commitments I left the Army after six years of service.
I constantly found myself regretting leaving the Army and wanted to somehow find that challenging work environment and pride that I had left behind.
I then spent four years as part of a Maritime Security Team working predominantly at sea but also with some land-based close protection roles and a spell in Iraq.
All of the security teams that I was involved with were all ex-military and I came to realise that I still missed that connection, so in 2016 I joined SWP. I thoroughly enjoyed basic training and although discipline wasn’t as strict or implemented as the military, being back in uniform was a very fulfilling experience for me and I was very proud to be a Police Officer.
After completing my probation period and achieving PC status I had wanted to become a Firearms Officer but they were not recruiting at the time, however the Specialist Search Cell was. The cell carries out search operations that require skills such as diving, rope access, confined spaces and boat work.
I was one of three successful candidates to pass the selection process, then the eight week diving course in Newcastle and I am now in the SSC 10 person team, three of which have been trained in the military.
I would consider my police diving qualification to be my proudest personal success to date and I am led to believe that I am not only the first black diver in SWP but the first black diver in the British police force.
Due to the fact that I have joined SWP late in life, I have no desire to move up the ranks, but intend to develop my skills within the SSC and aim to become a supervisor for most of our specialist roles. I have loved my career with SWP thus far and would encourage any ex-military personnel who long for a similar career to join Team SWP as the opportunities are endless and the support available is invaluable.”