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 a Level 2 qualification in both English and Maths. There is currently no requirement for new entrants to have previously attained the Certificate of Knowledge in Policing. 

Accepted qualifications include:

• GCSE Grade C/Level 4 or above

• Functional Skills Level 2 in Numeracy/Literacy

• Scottish: SCQF Level 5 (e.g. Intermediate 2 Grade C or above, or Standard Grade with credit)

Copies of certificates must be included with your application.

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 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.

Whilst the MDP does not currently use the College of Policing Online Assessment model, if you have passed the full College of Policing Online Assessment with another force within the last 12 months at point of application, we will accept this in place of our competency interview. You must provide written evidence in the form of your candidate feedback report.

If your online assessment pass is accepted, you will still need to complete a suitability interview and all remaining stages.

Assessments completed with Forces who do not use the College of Policing process will not be honoured. 

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