UK police force - Residency rule

Silent Runner

Hi,

I've seen this asked a few places but haven't seen any definite answer to it. From their recruiting section:

Only applications from British citizens, EU/EEA nationals, Commonwealth citizens, or foreign nationals with indefinite leave to remain in the UK will be accepted. You should also have been resident in the UK for a minimum of three years immediately prior to application. In certain circumstances it is possible for a minimum residency period for vetting to be waived. However this can only be done where it is possible to make, or confirm, in the relevant jurisdictions with Law Enforcement and National Security bodies, which are equivalent, and of a similar standard, to enquiries which would be made in the UK, on both the applicant and all family members and associates. In cases where it is not possible to make the equivalent checks, the residency criterion will be stringently enforced

Does the three year residency rule apply to citizens outside the EU/Common Wealth?

Is it just as simple as sending an application and attending interviews/assessments in the UK if someone from Ireland were looking to join their forces when they start recruiting?

Also do these rules apply to the PSNI?

Apologies if I've placed this in the wrong thread

Goonerdee

Doesn't apply to the PSNI, that statement means it may be possible to join a UK force if you live in the RoI but it might not be likely if they are inundated with applicants with UK addresses.

Royal87

I get really confused with this rule if you live in the ROI which I do so how can I join the psni with is in Northern Ireland (uk) and I can't join uk police forces such as the met. It baffles me

Goonerdee

Royal87 wrote: »

I get really confused with this rule if you live in the ROI which I do so how can I join the psni with is in Northern Ireland (uk) and I can't join uk police forces such as the met. It baffles me

It was a rule brought in with the Patten reforms as far as I'm aware, it was to encourage more Irish passport holders to join.

Royal87

Pity uk forces wouldn't follow it

Goonerdee

http://www.policecouldyou.co.uk/police-officer/am-i-eligible/detailed-eligibility-req/index.html

There is no mention of residency on the main recruitment site, so maybe not all forces require it.

Royal87

Yes but you must live within the uk for 3 years before applying

Goonerdee

Royal87 wrote: »

Yes but you must live within the uk for 3 years before applying

I can't see where that is written.

Royal87

Goonerdee wrote: »

I can't see where that is written.

This is on the met web site

Royal87

If anyone can please shine some light on this topic I would be very grateful

biker701

PSNI's policy is the exception not the rule. Most forces worldwide have some minimum residency requirements. Makes sense. You can contact any force that are recruiting to see if they operate a waiver for ROI residents but I doubt it. As Goonerdee said, it's to increase the diversity of applicants given the unique political situation in NI.

Royal87

biker701 wrote: »

PSNI's policy is the exception not the rule. Most forces worldwide have some minimum residency requirements. Makes sense. You can contact any force that are recruiting to see if they operate a waiver for ROI residents but I doubt it. As Goonerdee said, it's to increase the diversity of applicants given the unique political situation in NI.

The psni are recruiting on the 50:50 scheme any more

rookie_boarder

Is all of the above not got something to do with a treaty between ROI and the UK, going back like 70 years, something to do with so many people being in each others country when ROI officially declared itself out of the commonwealth. It's or was something to do with affording people equal rights in each others country. One such example is the serious amount of people from the south joining the British forces for decades gone by...

Royal87

rookie_boarder wrote: »

Is all of the above not got something to do with a treaty between ROI and the UK, going back like 70 years, something to do with so many people being in each others country when ROI officially declared itself out of the commonwealth. It's or was something to do with affording people equal rights in each others country. One such example is the serious amount of people from the south joining the British forces for decades gone by...

I totally agree I can join the British army.
, navy, airforce in the morning with out having to live in the uk for 3 years also nurses can move over and get jobs ASAP so strange why the police have this rule

biker701

rookie_boarder wrote: »

Is all of the above not got something to do with a treaty between ROI and the UK, going back like 70 years, something to do with so many people being in each others country when ROI officially declared itself out of the commonwealth. It's or was something to do with affording people equal rights in each others country. One such example is the serious amount of people from the south joining the British forces for decades gone by...

Possibly, I vaguely recall seeing a sign up at security in an English airport about travel between ROI and UK being a Common Transit Area or some such term, where security is considered more relaxed than travel between UK and other EU countries.

Royal87 wrote: »

I totally agree I can join the British army.
, navy, airforce in the morning with out having to live in the uk for 3 years also nurses can move over and get jobs ASAP so strange why the police have this rule

Not entirely true. You could join the RIR or a few other groups, but there is some residency restrictions for submarine/special forces/RAF roles etc. I would need to read up on it, but doubt you could join the Civil Nuclear Constabulary tomorrow for example. Medicine is generally similar the world over, so as long as the country recognises your qualifications you should be ok. An A+E in Dublin may treat drunken brawlers the same as Sydney, but the laws/legislation the police can deal with them over would be vastly different.

Royal87

biker701 wrote: »

Possibly, I vaguely recall seeing a sign up at security in an English airport about travel between ROI and UK being a Common Transit Area or some such term, where security is considered more relaxed than travel between UK and other EU countries.

Not entirely true. You could join the RIR or a few other groups, but there is some residency restrictions for submarine/special forces/RAF roles etc. I would need to read up on it, but doubt you could join the Civil Nuclear Constabulary tomorrow for example. Medicine is generally similar the world over, so as long as the country recognises your qualifications you should be ok. An A+E in Dublin may treat drunken brawlers the same as Sydney, but the laws/legislation the police can deal with them over would be vastly different.

Irish citizens have served and are still serving in the British army in all sections they even look after the royal family day in day out I have family in the met who joined with out this rule been in force

biker701

How long ago did your family members join the met? presumably pre 9/11 when security was much more relaxed?

Contrary to popular belief, you don’t have to be British to join the MPS. In fact, you can be of any nationality as long as you’ve been resident in the UK for at least the three years immediately prior to applying.

http://www.metpolicecareers.co.uk/eligibility_requirements.html

To join the Royal Navy you will need to be a national of Britain, Ireland or the Commonwealth. If you have dual nationality, you can still join. But some roles have stricter requirements than others for security reasons.

http://www.royalnavy.mod.uk/Careers/How-to-Join/Eligibility
Harsh maybe, but minimum residency requirements seem quite common in a lot of the UK police forces I've looked into applying to. Your essentially an unknown foreign person to them with no UK paper trail. Harder to give full security clearance to someone who the Govt. have little record of.

discus

biker701 wrote: »

Not entirely true. You could join the RIR or a few other groups, but there is some residency restrictions for submarine/special forces/RAF roles etc. I would need to read up on it, but doubt you could join the Civil Nuclear Constabulary tomorrow for example. Medicine is generally similar the world over, so as long as the country recognises your qualifications you should be ok. An A+E in Dublin may treat drunken brawlers the same as Sydney, but the laws/legislation the police can deal with them over would be vastly different.

You're both half-right.

You can join RM, RN, Army or RAF, but your jobs and activities within them are actively curtailed. You can join from ROI, but if you haven't lived in the UK for 5+ years you won't get a security clearance, and if you are not a citizen it stops you from getting an even more in depth clearance.

Police are the same, but the reason that it is 3+ years is for a CRB check, to make sure you're not a kiddy fiddler or likely to kill someone who is your responsibility. It's tough on Irish people joining the British Police forces, but would you want random foreign people joining the Gardai without some sort of background check?

discus

Royal87 wrote: »

Irish citizens have served and are still serving in the British army in all sections they even look after the royal family day in day out I have family in the met who joined with out this rule been in force

Looking after the Royal Family is one thing, being trusted to look after information and equipment necessary to maintaining national security is a whole other thing, and while you may have had family serve #everywhere' that wont happen now, especially post 9/11, as the yanks don't want to share info with the brits if they give it out willy nilly.

Irish abroad

The Met was still recruiting people from ROI in 2005
Fact .
I suspect it cost more in vetting .

Not many irish lads about theses days , but we just had a new lad from Kerry in my force .

Royal87

Irish abroad wrote: »

The Met was still recruiting people from ROI in 2005
Fact .
I suspect it cost more in vetting .

Not many irish lads about theses days , but we just had a new lad from Kerry in my force .

And did he move straight over tho