Recruitment and Selection Policy (PS 173)

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Introduction

Nottinghamshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC) are committed to recruiting and selecting individuals through processes that are fair, transparent, inclusive and based on merit. This policy, procedure and management guide support consistent recruitment practices, compliance with relevant legislation and the development of a skilled and diverse workforce capable of meeting the current and future needs of the organisation and the communities it serves.

Aims and objectives

People are the most important asset of Nottinghamshire Police and the Office of the Police and Crime Commissioner (OPCC).

Nottinghamshire Police and OPCC actively seeks to employ and retain people of the highest calibre, representative of the diverse communities that we serve whilst developing a workforce that is fit for the future.

Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC want to recruit and retain people who are able to contribute to our aims and objectives and who display the PROUD values.

The aim of the policy is to be consistent, fair and cost effective in recruiting the best person for all posts within Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC.

Policy statement

Scope

The policy applies to internal and external recruitment of police officer, special constabulary, police staff and OPCC Staff posts; whether they are fixed term or substantive appointments.

Key principles

Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC will:

Ensure all recruitment and selection activity is fully compliant with employment legislation and Police Regulations 2003.
Ensure that all recruitment and selection processes are accessible and inclusive for everyone.
Consider taking Positive Action where there is enough evidence to reasonably conclude that people from a specific group suffer some sort of disadvantage because of their personal characteristic or are disproportionately under-represented, in line with the Equality Act 2010.
Continues to be a Real living wage employer ensuring all officers and staff are paid a wage that reflects the true cost of living.
Continue to be a high profile employer in the area and therefore our reputation will be enhanced by professional recruitment and selection activities.
Promote best practice in recruitment and selection.
Conduct recruitment and selection in a professional, timely, consistent and cost-effective manner.
Seek to recruit the best quality candidates for roles based on objective merit.
Manage the establishment within agreed budgets.
Ensure all recruiting managers will be appropriately skilled, comply with the policy and procedures and fully understand Equality Duties and Diversity standards, to make sure that all applicants are treated fairly, equitably and with dignity and respect.
Continuously monitor and evaluate Recruitment and selection procedures to ensure consistency, fairness and continuous improvement.

Financial control

The Deputy Chief Constable is responsible for the people and volunteer establishment of Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC Chief Executive is responsible for all staff and volunteers within the OPCC. All budgeted established vacancies must have financial authorisation from the Nottinghamshire Police’s Managing Resources Panel/Tactical Workforce Planning, or the OPCC Chief Executive or Chief Finance Officer if it is an OPCC vacancy, prior to a vacancy being confirmed and authorised.
All approved posts (excluding Apprenticeships) will be budgeted to meet or exceed the real living wage as independently defined by the Living Wage Foundation.
Any external agency recruitment must be handled via Nottinghamshire Police or OPCC’s preferred suppliers, in the first instance. Advice should be sought from People Services Recruitment Team.
All confirmed vacancies will be advertised on Nottinghamshire Police’s intranet and externally as appropriate.
Any additional advertising expenditure must be authorised by the Head of People Services and Organisational Development nominated representative.
Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC will not provide travelling expenses at any stage of the recruitment process.

Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations

Documents relating to all applicants will be treated confidentially and in accordance with the Data Protection Act and General Data Protection Regulations.
Disclosure requires all documentation to be accessible. Individuals may request data about themselves.
All recruitment documentation for unsuccessful applicants will be retained by People Services for 12 months for staff and 24 months for PCSOs, Specials and officers.
All recruitment documentation relating to an individual’s successful appointment will be retained on their electronic personal file.

Assessments

All police staff and staff of the OPCC’s posts will be recruited to an up-to-date job description evaluated using the Korn Ferry evaluation procedure (previously known as HAY).
Assessments will always be made on merit, following a fair and objective selection process designed to test applicants (officers and staff) fit with the competency and values framework (CVF) and/or job description and person specification. All candidates will undertake the same assessment process for the same role and will be free from bias and any form of discrimination.
Assessments for Police Officer, specials and PCSOs appointments and promotions will as a minimum comply with national standards and be in accordance with the CVF.
New appointments to Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC will be subject to successful referencing, medical, attendance management, vetting checks and must be legally eligible to work in the UK without restriction. Appointments of existing staff/officers to roles may also be subject to G32a attendance management approval, line manager approval, vetting and medical checks (dependent on the role).
Drug and biometric and fitness testing will be undertaken for certain roles.

Feedback

Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC will contact all unsuccessful candidates who are declined from any of the assessment stages outlined in the relevant procedure.
Applicants can request specific feedback relating to the person specification/role profile/CVF. This will be provided at interview stage wherever possible.

Equality of opportunity

The following applicants that meet the minimum criteria for the person specification will be shortlisted for initial assessment.
- Applicants with a disability defined under the Equalities Act.
- Applicants that are currently serving in the Armed Forces and are within 12 weeks of their discharge date.
- Applicants whose last long-term employer was the Armed Forces and have not more than 3 years since they left the Armed Forces.
All applicants will be considered against the agreed person specification/role profile/CVF and will be objectively assessed on merit.
We will complete equality and diversity monitoring to check that our Diversity, Equality and inclusion policy is working effectively.
Any request for reasonable adjustments to the recruitment and selection process to support disabled and/or neurodivergent applicants will be implemented with advice from the People Services Department. For any College of Policing assessments, we would require appropriate specialist reports, quick screen scan report or work needs assessor (level 4).
The right people with the right skills will be appointed, and any requests for flexible and/or agile working will be considered against PS 149 Flexible Working Policy and/or PS 313 Agile Working Policy.
Nottinghamshire Police and the OPCC will exercise discretion and prioritise candidates at risk of redundancy or requiring redeployment throughout recruitment processes.

Transfers/Rejoiners

Nottinghamshire Police welcomes applications from suitably qualified police officers currently serving or having previously served with other Home Office police forces to transfer to or rejoin Nottinghamshire Police subject to organisational requirements.
Police officers and specials may apply to transfer to an alternative department/division within Nottinghamshire Police at the same There may be restrictions on this facility for certain areas/roles. Nottinghamshire Police’s business and operational requirements will prevail.
Police staff may only apply to transfer within Nottinghamshire Police to an alternative department/division in the same role/position and grade (as determined by Job Descriptions and Person Specifications). There may be restrictions on this facility for certain areas/roles. Nottinghamshire Police’s business and operational requirements will prevail.
The transfer date will normally be agreed within 28 days of the decision to transfer, subject to approval by Tactical Workforce Planning meeting and on completion of pre-employment checks. This will be mutually agreed between the relevant line managers. In exceptional circumstances an extension to this transfer date may be authorised by Tactical Workforce Planning Meeting.
All potential transferees/rejoiners will be subject to normal assessments and checks including vetting by the Professional Standards Directorate.
All officer moves are overseen by Tactical Workforce planning and are subject to operational requirements and vacancies.

Seconders

All applications for an internal or external secondment will be considered against Nottinghamshire Police or the OPCC’s requirements and operational needs.
Out of Force secondments will be managed as per PD 634 Out of Force Secondment Procedure.
Secondments within Nottinghamshire Police or the OPCC will be advertised internally and externally as appropriate as determined by the grade/rank of the role and the duration of the secondment.

Promotions

All police officers applying for higher ranks must have completed the necessary promotions process.

Induction

All successful applicants for staff will undergo a mandatory induction programme, which is the responsibility of their line manager to facilitate.

Statement of Expectation

There are certain police officer specialist posts that have a statement of expectation and this will be outlined in the relevant advert and/or in the PIP 1 and PIP 2 Pathways policy. This should be discussed as part of the annual Career Conversations.

Exceptions

a) The Chief Constable reserves the right to transfer or promote police officers to any post, if it is in the interests of the operational requirements of Nottinghamshire Police, without prior advertising. In the interests of operational efficiency, police officers on adjusted duties may be placed in specialist posts in accordance with the provisions of the Equality Act 2010.

b) The Chief Constable reserves the right, in exceptional circumstances, to appoint police staff to any post without prior advertisement, where it is reasonably necessary to meet urgent operational requirements, address critical resourcing needs, or maintain business continuity within Nottinghamshire Police.

c) Where a police officer, police staff member, staff of the OPCC or specials are subject to:

Performance Written Improvement Notice.
Attendance Written Improvement Notice.
PSD or Police Staff Misconduct live warning.
PSD or Police Staff Misconduct Investigation (each situation will be considered on its merits).

The circumstances of the individual applying for jobs will need to be considered by the Head of People Services and Organisational Development and the recruiting manager alongside the Head of PSD where required. This could potentially exclude the individual from the recruitment process until conclusion of the process that they are subject to.

d) When considering candidates that have been dismissed who wish to apply for a position in Nottinghamshire Police or the OPCC, this process is guided by fairness, transparency, and adherence to organisational policies and legal requirements. Each case is assessed individually, taking into account the nature of the conduct, any mitigating circumstances, and the impact on the workplace. Where safeguarding concerns are involved, including placement on the barred list, these are treated with the highest level of scrutiny. Decisions are made in consultation with relevant stakeholders to ensure consistency and integrity, and all outcomes are documented thoroughly to support accountability and future reference.

Monitoring

All applicants will be required to complete an on-line equal opportunity monitoring form and these will not be visible to the Recruiting Manager during the short-listing process.
The Head of People Services and Organisational Development is responsible for monitoring the implementation and impact of this policy, including supporting the Deputy Chief Constable in the management of the establishment.
The outcomes of recruitment and selection procedures will be monitored on an annual basis, including monitoring for any adverse effects on minority groups.

Equality Impact

An Equality Impact Assessment (EIA) has been completed for this procedure in accordance with PG 170 Equality Impact Assessment Guidance. The assessment considers the potential impact of the procedure on individuals with protected characteristics under the Equality Act 2010 and supports the development of fair, inclusive and non-discriminatory policies, procedures and management guidance.

The completed Equality Impact Assessment is held by Corporate Documentation in accordance with organisational EIA governance arrangements.

Legislative/Guidance compliance

This document has been drafted to comply with the general and specific duties in the Equality Act 2010; Data Protection Act 2018 and General Data Protection Regulations; Freedom of Information Act 2000; European Convention of Human Rights; Employment Act 2002; Employment Relations Act 1999, Immigration Act 2016, Police Regulations 2003 and other legislation relevant to policing.

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PS 173:
Recruitment and Selection Policy

Type of Document:
Policy

Version:
1.4

Registered Owner:
Claire Salter - Head of People Services and Organisational Development

Author/Reviewer:
Sue Sullivan - Policy and Wellbeing Partner

Effective Date:
September 2026

Review Date:
September 2031

Linked Documents:

PD 381 Police Staff Recruitment and Selection Procedure
PD 136 Police Officer Internal Post Recruitment and Selection Procedure
PD 480 Police Officer, Police Community Support Officer and Special Constable Selection
PD 127 Job Evaluation Procedure
PD 482 Pre-appointment Drug Screening Procedure, PD 633 Biometric Vetting Procedure
PS 122 Management of Change (Police Staff) Policy, PD 587 Management of Change Procedure
PG 043 Management of Change – Managers Guide, PS 197 Diversity, Equality and Inclusion Policy, PD 132 PIP 1 and PIP 2 Pathways Policy/Procedure, PS 149 Flexible Working Policy
PS 313 Agile Working Policy

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