You must have completed your probationary period (minimum two years' service) as a regular Constable with a UK Home Department Police Force or recognised civilian policing organisation, including British Transport Police, Civil Nuclear Constabulary, Ports Police, Police Service of Northern Ireland, or Police Scotland.

Officers with less than four years' service must provide evidence of completing initial entry programme (Police Constable Entry Programme, degree apprenticeship, degree holder or equivalent)with their application..

If you have left the police service:

• Within the last three years at point of application: you may apply as a New Entrant From Other Forces

• More than three years ago at point of application: you can only be considered as a New Recruit, regardless of previous service length

You must be 18 or over when you apply. There is no upper age limit.

You must hold a full UK manual car driving licence with no more than six penalty points. Your photo card licence must be in date and show your current home address. You will be asked to provide a copy of this with your application.

All applicants except those from Northern Ireland must provide a summary of their driving record. Find the details of your driving licence, including:

• Your details

• Vehicles you can drive

• Penalties and disqualifications

Northern Ireland applicants should send a copy of their paper counterpart licence.

You must have lived continuously in the UK for at least five years before applying, with no more than six months total absence.

For postings to sites requiring Developed Vetting (DV) clearance (such as AWE, Menwith Hill or RNAD Coulport), this increases to ten years.

Time abroad serving in the British Armed Forces or on UK Government service counts as UK residency.

Time outside the UK includes time spent travelling, studying, living or working but does not include short holidays.

You must be a sole British National holding a valid British Passport. Dual nationality or foreign nationals cannot be accepted.

Ideally, you should not have a criminal record – this includes convictions, cautions, penalty notices and court orders.

You must disclose all convictions, cautions, penalty notices, and court orders, regardless of when they occurred. Failure to disclose will usually result in rejection.

The following lists provide an indication of whether you may meet our criteria in relation to criminal offences:

All tattoos are assessed individually. Tattoos that are discriminatory, offensive, violent, or intimidating will not be accepted. Tattoos on the face, head, or neck forward of the ear/jawline will result in automatic rejection.

You must provide photographs of all non-intimate tattoos with a visible scale.

Non-English tattoos require a verified translation.

Facial piercings are not permitted. Flesh tunnels or ear plugs leaving a hole greater than 4mm will result in automatic rejection.

You must also let the Recruitment Team know if at any stage during the recruitment process you acquire any further tattoos, piercings or any other body art, or are considering doing so, as this may affect your suitability. 

You must not be registered bankrupt with outstanding debts. If previously bankrupt, at least three years must have passed since discharge. The same applies to equivalents such as Trust Deeds in Scotland.

You must not have outstanding County Court Judgments.

If you are subject to a current Individual Voluntary Arrangement (IVA) or Debt Management Plans are acceptable if you can evidence that you are managing repayments.

You must pass the MDP Physical Employment Standards Job-Related Fitness Test (PES-JRFT). Find out what's involved.

If you apply to the Tactical Firearms Unit, the fitness standard to be achieved is 10.5 on the 15-metre multistage fitness test.#

If you apply for a role at one of our Marine Units, you will be required to pass a swim test as part of the recruitment process. Otherwise, there is no requirement to swim to join the MDP.

If you receive a conditional offer, you will need to complete a medical assessment. Find out more about our medical standards.

MDP officers cannot be members of the British National Party (BNP), Combat 18, the National Front, or similar organisations.

Previous unsuccessful applications to other forces do not prevent you applying to MDP. You may also apply to MDP while actively applying elsewhere, but please keep our recruitment team informed of any changes.

You do not need to be a qualified Authorised Firearms Officer to apply. Full firearms training is provided. We welcome applications from officers with specialist skills including firearms instruction, marine policing, and dog handling. If you are interested in specialist roles but not yet qualified, you can apply for relevant training programmes after completing AFO CT training, subject to availability.

We recognise the following promotion qualifications upon joining:

• OSPRE Part One examination pass

• Police Scotland promotion examination pass

• Other qualifications considered case-by-case

Accepted qualifications are valid for one promotion process only (Constable to Sergeant or Sergeant to Inspector) and remain valid for three years from the date of acquisition. Qualifications acquired before 1 April 2016 are treated as acquired on that date and expired on 31 March 2019.

Read our guidance regarding Police Service Conduct and Performance issues, which applies to all New Entrants from Other Forces (NEOF) applicants who have previous service in any UK Police Force as a Police Staff member, PCSO, Police Officer or member of the Special Constabulary.