Criminal convictions and cautions

Convictions, cautions and fixed penalty notices (road traffic and recordable offences, such as disorder and alcohol related offences) will not necessarily preclude anyone from appointment with the Metropolitan Police Service as a new police constable, or employment as police staff including Police Community Support Officer (PCSO), member of the special constabulary, or work in a non-police personnel role (e.g. contractor, agency staff, volunteer, partnership working etc.). It will depend on the nature and circumstances of the offence.

Factors that are taken into consideration before a decision is made include:

• Theageoftheapplicantatthetimeoftheoffence

• Thenumberofyearsthathaveelapsedsincetheoffencewascommitted

• Thenatureoftheoffence.

All convictions for any past offences, formal cautions by the police (including cautions as a juvenile (i.e. having not attained the age of 17 years) and any bind-overs imposed by any court must be declared. It includes traffic convictions, such as speeding, drink-drive offences, fixed penalties for motoring, disorder and theft offences and any appearances before a court-martial.

Spent convictions must also be included under the Rehabilitation of Offenders

Act 1974 (by virtue of the provisions of the Rehabilitation of Offenders Act 1974 (Exemptions) Order 1975) or any involvement with civil, military or transport police. Any involvement in any criminal investigation whether or not this led to prosecution (either of yourself or others) must also be declared.

Some applicants do not declare information that they believe is no longer held on record. However, the vetting process will reveal all incidents and failure to disclose any convictions, cautions and fixed penalty notices (road traffic and recordable offences) will result in an application being terminated. We will also want to know whether any of your close family or associates are involved in criminal activity and the Vetting Unit staff will therefore search for any criminal convictions, cautions or related information recorded against you, your family and associates. You must advise them that these enquiries will be made. Unfortunately the Met cannot disclose the results of these enquiries to you.

Mandatory rejectionTherearesomeoffencesthatwillleadtomandatory rejection.

Under normal circumstances, if an applicant declares any of the following convictions or security-vetting checks reveal them, the application will be rejected.

1. Any offence committed as an adult, (i.e. aged 17 years and over), which involves elements of dishonesty, corruption, serious violence or injury, serious involvement with drugs or abuse of children, substantial financial gain or serious loss to anyone.

2. Any offence that has resulted in a prison sentence (including suspended or deferred sentence)

3. Any of the under mentioned offences:

• Murder,manslaughter,kidnapping,firearmsoffences

• GrievousBodilyHarm(GBH)

• ActualBodilyHarm(ABH)

• IndecentAssault

• Rape

• Burglary

• Theft/Fraud/Deception

• PossessionofaclassAdrug(Heroin,Morphine)ormorethanoneclassBdrug(Amphetamines)

• Supplyingdrugsofanykind

• Abuseorneglectofchildren

Cautions, convictions and vetting.TheMetropolitanPoliceService(Met)iscommittedtomaintainhighlevelsofhonestyandintegrityandthepreventionanddisruption of dishonest, unethical and unprofessional behaviour.

Please note that we’re unable to state whether a conviction record of anyone associated with you will affect your application before you apply. We’ll base our decision on the full and confidential information you provide during the recruitment and selection process.

• Please note that the information in this guide is correct at the time of publication. It’s subject to alteration resulting from changes in legislation.

• If you would like to have a confidential conversation with somebody from our Vetting Unit, please email: vetting.unit@met.police.uk

Motoring offences

Thefollowingmotoringoffenceswillresultinmandatory rejection:

• Reckless/Dangerous/CarelessDrivingcausingdeath,includingfailtostop(hitandrun)

• RecklessorDangerousDrivingwithinthelast10years.The10years’timecalculationwillcommenceaftertheexpiration of any period of driving disqualification imposed by a Court

• Oneoffenceofdrinkdrivingordrunkinchargeofamotorvehiclewithinthepreceding10years.The10years’timecalculation will commence after the expiration of any period of driving disqualification imposed by a Court

• Morethanoneoffenceofdrinkdrivingordrunkinchargeofamotorvehicle

• Otherseriousmotoringoffenceswithinthelast5years(e.g.drivingwithoutinsurance,drivingwithoutadrivinglicence,driving whilst disqualified, failing to stop after an accident)

• Morethan3endorsabletrafficconvictions(includingfixedpenalties)and/or6penaltypoints,withinthelast5years (for offences on different dates)

• OneormoreconvictionsforregulatoryoffencessuchasfailuretorenewavehicleexciselicenceandMOTwithinthelast 5 years.

Convictions or offences dealt with by way of fixed penalties for minor motoring offences should not, in themselves be a barrier to recruitment unless the applicant is a persistent offender. Each case will be considered on its merits and the nature oftheapplicant’srolewillbetakenintoaccount.

HM ForcesConvictions whilst serving in HM Forces will be treated like any other centrally recorded information and similar weight given to any finding of guilt. Serving members of the armed forces who are convicted of any criminal offence by a military tribunal will have any such offence recorded on the Police National Computer.

Outstanding charges and summonsesWhere an applicant discloses an outstanding charge or summons that may result in a conviction for a recordable offence, the application will be put on hold until the outcome is known, at which point it will be considered in accordance with this document.

Relatives and associates with convictions or cautionsWhere relatives or the associates of an applicant, are found to have convictions or cautions for recordable offences, or if they are reasonably suspected of being actively involved in criminal activity, the following should be considered:

• Thenatureoftherelationship,e.g.whethertheapplicantresideswithorhasregularcontactwiththeoffender

• Thelikelihoodthattheapplicant’srolewillbeadverselyaffected,e.g.throughadversepressureoraconflictofinterests

• Thenumberandseriousnessoftheoffencesorinvolvementincriminalactivity

• Whetherembarrassmentwillbecausedtothepoliceservice

• Whetherthecredibilityoftheapplicantwillbeaffected

• Whetherthecredibilityofpoliceservicewillbeaffected

• Thepotentialforinformationleakage.

Cautions, convictions and vetting.Be in the know before you apply.

When applying to become a Police Officer, you must declare any cautions, investigations or criminal convictions that may be linked to you, a family member or someone you know.Ifyoudon’ttellusatthisstage,yourapplicationcouldberefusedsimplybecauseyouweren’tbeingopenandupfront.Itmighthavebeenacceptedifyouwere. So if in doubt, disclose.

Here are four examples of how applicants have been rejected when they could have succeeded.

TomhadbeenthinkingaboutjoiningtheMetfor some time. When he came to fill in the online application form, he hesitated for a moment at the previous offences section.

Tomrememberedhisschooldaysandthetimehe was cautioned for a minor offence. It was a long time ago and not very serious, so he didn’trefertoit.

Butafewdaysaftercompletingtheapplication, Tomgotarefusalletter.Ifonlyhe’dbeenhonest.Hispastmistakeprobablywouldn’thave counted against him.

Scenario 1: Tom’s schoolboy error

Everyone knows Paul would make a great Police Officer. So when it came to filling in hisapplication,hedidn’tfeelitwasworthmentioning what happened to him the summer before last.

On holiday in another part of the UK, Paul was unwittingly caught up in a fight in a nightclub.ThePolicequestionedhimbutno charges were brought against him.

EveryoneknewPaulhadn’tdoneanythingwrong,butnowhe’shadtoreconsiderhiscareer options.

Scenario 3: Paul’s brush with the law

When Jill was filling in her application form for theMet,shedidn’tpaymuchattentiontothepreviousoffencessection.She’dneverbeenintrouble in her life and neither had most of her friends and family.

Her brother Frank was found to have a conviction and has served a prison sentence for supplying drugs.

Jillknewabouttheconviction,butdidn’tdeclareitontheapplicationform.That’swhyshe received a refusal letter.

Scenario 2: Jill’s brother

Sarah has always wanted to be a Police officer. She was happy to fill in her application form but failed to declare she had been investigated by police for shoplifting aged 15.

When asked about this she stated she rushed the forms, the police did not prosecute and that she had forgotten about the incident as it was 8 years ago.

If Sarah had thought more carefully about what kind of information we needed her to tell us on the application form, she may not have received a refusal letter.

Scenario 4: Sarah’s wrong turn