Vetting

Nationally we police with the consent of our communities, and it is only right that the public expect that we only employ people with the highest levels of integrity. The public also expect those that work in the police service to always act and behave professionally, as evidence will show that the media will focus on instances where this is not the case, leading to reputational damage to individual officers and the organisation.

On occasions, individuals employed by the police service or who have access to police premises, information or other assets, can be targeted by criminals, terrorist organisations or professionals (e.g. the media, loss adjusters, private detectives) seeking some type of gain by accessing information or premises. Although quite rare, this kind of infiltration usually has serious consequences for police and national security.

The role you apply for will dictate the level of vetting you require. Roles where you will have access to more sensitive information and assets will require a higher level of clearance which is why we use two levels of vetting.

Recruitment vetting (RV) – this requires you to have had three years residency in the UK immediately before a vetting application is made.

Management vetting (MV) – this requires you to have had five years residency in the UK immediately before a vetting application is made.

No, you do not need to be a British citizen to gain vetting clearance, however, you will require indefinite leave to remain status and a minimum of three years residency for recruitment vetting and five years for management vetting.

Vetting checks will be conducted on the applicant, their family members and any co-residents.

If you only share a kitchen and bathroom facilities but rarely interact or associate with the other tenants in the accommodation/occupancy, do not socialise together or engage on social media, then you do not need to declare them on your vetting application.

Without vetting clearance, you will not be allowed access to Nottinghamshire Police premises, systems or assets. If there are any sections of the vetting documentation that cause you concern and that you feel you will be unable to complete, you should contact the Force Vetting Unit on [email protected] to discuss your concerns prior to submitting any documentation.

The checks we conduct look for any previous behaviour on behalf of the applicant, their family and co-residents which may present a risk to the organisation.

This includes:

• Previous arrests, convictions, cautions and involvement in any criminal investigations even as a juvenile

• Convictions for minor motoring offences even if you have attended a course

• Outstanding charges or court summons that could result in a conviction

• Open-source material including candidates social media accounts

• If you have tattoos that can be considered offensive or inappropriate. These will be assessed on a case-by-case basis

The following will result in an automatic decline of your vetting application:

• If you have any County Court judgements (CCJ’s), an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or if you have declared bankruptcy

• If you have cautions or convictions unless there are exceptionally compelling circumstances surrounding the original incident

• Any offence either as an adult or juvenile that resulted in a prison sentence where a vulnerable person was targeted, if the offence was motivated by hate or discrimination, or is domestic abuse related

• If you are a registered sex offender or are subject to a registration requirement in respect of any other conviction

• If you are currently on the police barred list

A criminal associate is a person who has been or is currently involved in criminality (whether that has led to a conviction or not) with whom you have a connection. This is often a family member, in-law or friend. You should declare any such person and explain what your association is with that person, how often you see them, what your relationship with them is like and what steps you have taken to disassociate yourself from their criminal actions.

It is widely accepted that spouses or partners, immediate family members and those with whom a person shares a home can influence an individual, whether intentionally or unintentionally, by applying pressure or creating circumstances that can lead to vulnerability to coercion or inducement.

Although this may not be a product of the lifestyle or actions of the applicant, it remains the case that they may be affected by the lifestyle or actions of those closest to them. It is therefore necessary to consider the stability, circumstances and background of individuals with whom the applicant has relationships with, and who are within their immediate sphere of influence.

A caution, reprimand or warning issued as a juvenile should be declared and will be considered as part of the vetting decision. It is recognised that the intended purpose of the issuing of a caution to a juvenile is a form of early intervention, and as time passes the potential impact on the vetting decision could lessen.

Applicants to the police service should normally be free from undischarged debt or liability and be able to manage existing loans. Where this is not the case, they become a vulnerable person who may be targeted by unscrupulous individuals or groups with something to gain.

Consequently, financial checks are conducted on the applicant to ensure they are managing any existing debt and not living a lifestyle which they cannot afford.

Applicants who have financial debts will be considered for vetting, but you would need to demonstrate that regular repayments have been made to reduce the debt. Each case is individually assessed.

Your application will be refused if you have any County Court judgements (CCJ’s), an Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or if you have declared bankruptcy.

Where relevant information is not declared the presumption is that the applicant’s honesty and integrity are in question, and this may lead to them being refused clearance.

Many people later claim they were told by the police officer that dealt with them that there would not be a record of the event. You should presume that everything is recorded and failure to mention it will have an adverse effect on your application. If you declare something which is not relevant, the Force Vetting Unit will discount it.

Each case is treated on its merits and therefore it depends on what information is found during the checks. Sometimes it is necessary to call the applicant to interview so that concerns may be discussed and sometimes it is necessary to make enquiries with other police forces or bodies.

Therefore, we do not give a set time to complete a vetting file but deal with them as expeditiously as possible.

Given the volume of vetting applications and reviews processed by the Vetting Unit, it is not possible to keep individuals updated as to the progress of their application. At the completion of the vetting process, you will be informed in writing via email of the vetting decision.

Unfortunately not. However, by accurately filling in the form and ensuring as much detail as possible is provided in a timely manner, you will help the process to progress smoothly.

There are many reasons why an applicant can be declined and where possible the applicant will be told the reasons. However, there are several situations where they cannot be told because the information held may relate to a family member, criminal associate or may be subject of an exemption from disclosure under the Data Protection Act.

The applicant may appeal a vetting decision where they believe one or more of the following factors apply.

• The decision was unreasonable.

• There is information that could not reasonably have been considered by the original decision maker or evidence that could not reasonably have been considered as part of the withdrawal assessment, which could have materially affected the decision.

• There was a breach of the procedures set out in The Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025 or other vetting withdrawal or decline procedure, or any unfairness which could have materially affected the decision.

Any appeal must be in writing to [email protected] and must clearly set out the grounds for appeal.

Appeals are dealt with by the Force Vetting Manager who is independent of the original decision-making process and has not been previously involved in the case.

The Force Vetting Manager will respond directly to the applicant in writing with the outcome of the appeal.

Please visit our appeals page to learn more.

Once your vetting status has been cleared, the recruitment team will be in touch to advise you of the next steps.

• Failure to provide full address history for yourself and those declared on your form

• Failure to list all family members including stepfamily and half siblings

• Failure to include details of boyfriend/girlfriend under the spouse/partner section (we require details of those with whom you are co-residing as partners, or with whom you are in a steady relationship regardless of whether you live with them)

• Failure to declare previous involvement with the police. You should assume that if you have encountered the police during your life that it will be recorded on our systems, so if you fail to declare it, we will probably find out and you would be refused due to honesty and integrity issues

It is important that the Force Vetting Unit are made aware of any changes in your personal circumstances both during and after the vetting process. You are responsible for communicating these changes by emailing them on [email protected]

You should make the Force Vetting Unit aware of:

• Any change in your personal or financial circumstances (e.g. new spouse/partner, dependent or co-resident, new loans or mortgages etc.)

• Any convictions or cautions for criminal offences or involvement in criminal investigations relating to either yourself or anyone included on your original vetting or application forms

We expect people in our organisation to behave themselves and to always respect each other. We will not tolerate misogyny or teasing about people’s differences and are determined to drive this out of our organisation.

We want people whose history would not cause upset to colleagues and the public, or embarrassment. This includes their online history whereby if you have a digital history of hate or intolerance on social media, you can expect to not be accepted.

We expect our employees to call out bad behaviour and to feel comfortable about challenging it rather than ignoring it, which starts with who and how we recruit.

If you have any further questions, please email our recruitment team.