Constable

A police constable is a core position within policing. It's a service deliverer role in the policing professional profiles. The constable core rank profile outlines the basic requirements of the role. It should be used alongside a specialist constable role. These specialist roles can be found in the related roles section.

Role purpose

Constables play a critical role in the prevention and detection of crime and the criminal justice system. Constables work in partnership with local communities, stakeholders, and colleagues to:

• promote law and order
• reduce the fear of crime
• provide reassurance
• build confidence to improve the quality of life for citizens

The role carries legal powers to enable the maintenance of law and order, including responsibility for making autonomous decisions. This is done in accordance with the National Decision Model and Code of Ethics, exercising professional discretion, as appropriate to the role, in line with legal frameworks and policy guidelines.

Constables are required to meet and maintain the highest professional standards required of their role, by conducting all actions in a legal, balanced, proportionate, and justifiable manner. This upholds the law and achieves the best outcomes in a wide range of situations or incidents.

Key responsibilities

Key responsibility statements show the accountabilities for someone in this role. They focus on what is done, not how it is done.

• Upholding the values and ethical standards of policing. Acting with the highest level of professionalism in accordance with the law, public interest, and professional policing practice to protect the public by preventing and detecting crime.
• Providing an appropriate initial and ongoing policing response to a wide range of incidents. This will include dynamic, complex, critical and confrontational situations. Assessing immediate threat, risk and harm to determine a proportionate response in line with the law, policy and guidance.
• Recognising potential and actual risks to the public. Taking appropriate action to keep people safe, particularly those in need of public protection, pre-empting or effectively addressing safety and vulnerability issues.
• Engaging with victims, witnesses and suspects, particularly those who are vulnerable, with respect and without bias. Providing an initial response, gathering information, establishing relationships, providing support and directing towards relevant services to uphold the law and prevent crime.
• Conducting effective and efficient investigations to contribute to high-quality case files and support criminal justice proceedings.
• Gathering, handling and analysing information, intelligence, and evidence from a variety of sources in line with legislation, policy, and guidance. Determining significance and generating lines of enquiry. Informing decision-making and taking appropriate investigative action, law enforcement and criminal justice proceedings.
• Interviewing victims, witnesses, and suspects in relation to appropriate crimes and investigations to gather information relevant to policing objectives.
• Working constructively with communities and partners to deliver an effective approach to preventing and addressing vulnerability and crime in line with the force's planned approach.
• Helping improve policing by applying critical thinking and problem-solving methodologies to identify solutions to problems. Applying evidence of what works and supporting evidence-based policing.
• Working effectively as part of a team, role modelling leadership skills and good practice. Demonstrating fairness, respect, integrity and accountability. Challenging unprofessional attitudes and actions, using feedback and self-reflection to develop skills and performance.
• Taking responsibility for actively engaging in continuing professional development. Reflecting on own learning and development, performance and aspirations. Seeking support from others and line manager through regular review conversations, to enhance own professional development and maintain high performance.
• Employing strategies to develop personal wellbeing and resilience. Supporting colleagues to recognise and address their own wellbeing needs to protect and enhance the working environment.