Excellence in Community Policing

Policing the Communities of the Highlands and Islands




Police Constables

Northern Constabulary are not currently recruiting Police Constables and it is unlikely that there will be further recruitment until 2011 at the earliest.

If you have applied in the last recruitment window we are currently progressing all applications and will be in touch as soon as possible with further information on your progress.  There was a large response and your patience is appreciated.  Due to the number of applications received it is likely that we will have more successful applicants than places available and your application may go on hold.

Applicants who advance through the recruitment process will require to attend Police Headquarters, Inverness to sit the Standard Entrance and Critical Thinking Tests. If this and subsequent background checks are passed then they would attend for an Assessment Centre, Medical Assessment and Fitness Test as the last stage of the process. Dates for these are set as follows:

Standard Entrance Test / Critical Thinking Test (evenings)

Tuesday 20th July 2010 (new dates due to large response)

Tuesday 3rd August 2010

Tuesday 10th August 2010

Tuesday 17th August 2010

Thursday 26th August 2010

Assessment Centre, Medical Assessment and Fitness Test (daytime)

Wednesday 18th and Thursday 19th August 2010

Wednesday 15th and Thursday 16th September 2010

Wednesday 13th and Thursday 14th October 2010

Successful applicants will commence induction and training on 19th July 2010, 30th August 2010 and further dates which will be notified.

Force Information

We believe in excellence in community policing. That means we work in a way that’s of real benefit to more than 300,000 people, their lifestyles, and their communities right across the 10,000 square miles that we’re responsible for. It also means that our Police Constables spend a lot of time engaging with the public and getting to know their communities. What’s more, every location is different and has different needs, making a career as a Police Constable with Northern Constabulary every bit as wide-ranging as it is rewarding. In fact, it’s a career for life.

Our headquarters are in Inverness, which is our principal urban centre with a population of approximately 76,000. From here, we provide the strategic management and development of the Force. There are also urban centres at Dingwall, Wick and Thurso in the north; Portree on the Isle of Skye; Stornoway in the Western Isles; Kirkwall in Orkney; Lerwick in Shetland; Fort William in the south west; Nairn east of Inverness; and Aviemore in the south. Across these locations we have over 1,350 people, including around 800 police officers, 400 police staff, and 200 special constables. Whatever crucial role they are playing, and wherever they are working, we value the people who make up our Force. They come from all backgrounds with all kinds of experience and perspectives. And we champion those differences, because they make us stronger and more efficient as an organisation.