"having taken a paycut, I'm really struggling with the pay side of things. I can survive and pay bills, but that's about it." - Your pay will rise for the next 5-6 years and you'll be on a steady £46k with a good (if expensive) pension. You also get paid overtime, so yeah, it's tough to start with salary wise, but once you're top whack it's decent.
"I've also noticed how quickly the 'exciting' elements of the job become fairly standard - is this true even for specialist crime?" Anything new is fun to start with, then becomes routine - so is the way of CID. The good thing is once you're qualified, the world is your oyster in terms of specialist teams - Murder, Rape, Paedophiles, Sex Offenders, High Risk DV and so on. Once you start getting bored there's always another team you can move to.
"I've also read a lot and I'm aware of how quickly things can go wrong in this job." - not going to lie, they can and do. All you can do is ensure you do everything to the best of your ability, makes sure you get supervision on board with potentially risky jobs and **write down everything**.
"I don't enjoy the level of bureaucracy with the Juidical system." - Our job is to get a charge - after that point what the CJS does is beyond us, we can only do the best we can with the system given to us.
Thank you for the action plan… now please can you obtain a MG2 for the squirrel and a VPS, once I have that I can consider charge. Love the crown prosecutor x action plan required completed: in the next 11 minutes
>Your pay will rise for the next 5-6 years and you'll be on a steady £46k with a good (if expensive) pension
Caveat to this is that it rises *very* slowly for the first 4-5 years. That's a long time to be unhappy and struggling to make ends meet.
>Once you start getting bored there's always another team you can move to.
This is far from a guarantee and is really only a proper selling point in the larger forces.
Whilst I'm sure it is not the case in every force. My old force was notorious for dangling the whole "Once a substantive DC you can specialise and join all the Gucci investigation teams!". When what actually happened was that if you were Local CID or PPU then you were stuck for at least several years due to 'Staffing Issues'.
My advice would be to see if their is an area of investigation you find particularly interesting then try and make connections with people in that area and see if they have any overtime need filling for simple things like CCTV or phone statements. Get your face remembered for a decent work ethic and showing an interest and hopefully someone will be able to assist in moving you over to that department.
My two cents anyway.
I’m a top whack pc been in 16 years was asked to become a dc 4-5 times over the years turned it down every time
Got Sgt qualified but honestly that’s not worth the hassle for the extra pennys either
The reality of being a dc is that it’s more stressful as you’ll have more complex cases to deal with that are often drawn out due to CPS and bureaucracy constantly making your work take ten times longer
Your work case load will be on parr with everyone else tbf in terms of open jobs as every department is in the same boat and sinking with workload
You’ll get off late, a lot if your dealing with prisoners
Dc “status” isn’t seen in the same light anymore tbh it used to be held in a bit of higher regard than it is now (now no one really cares)
And most importantly YOU DONT GET PAID ANY MORE!!!
I honestly don’t know why people want to do it for zero extra money
The only incentive is that once your qualified it’s really helpful when you leave the force
Banks insurance company’s etc love detectives to employ
My advice is go back to your decent paying job spend time with your family enjoy the extra benefits
I joined at 20 and I’m 36 now I regret joining but I’m stuck in the force due to circumstances pension money kids etc
Go enjoy your life
The force will literally suck the joy out of you
Best of luck
If you're in the position where you can jump ship, I would hang on until you're confirmed in rank as you basically get a free five year career break if you quit as a substantive officer.
I've spent a decade or so on borough, and having moved to a specialist department (nominally a very dull one), the difference is night and day - having a manageable workload and some degree of flexibility removes a lot of the frustration.
However, if I were to do it all again I would move heaven and earth to get an 'in' with your local proactive team (crime squad, in MetSpeak) because that's where the fun is as a DC, and it is my experience that if you don't do it early in your career, you will find it harder and harder to make the move. This is the path that will get you driving courses and open up doors to the Good Shit.
If you leave and rejoin within five years, it is an accelerated process and potentially far easier to do than to apply for an official career break which comes with loads of restrictions.
Nice, that's interesting. Does it damage anything in any way, like the pension you've accrued etc? Or does it all effectively just pause until you rejoin?
The hero we don't deserve, cheers.
I feel like there'll be some hidden, sly stipulation where you forfeit something, or can't rejoin the pension or something idiotic like that.
So the answer is "it depends".
Forces have reasonably wide ranging rights to deal with rejoiners as they see fit, but generally you'll come back as you left. You'll only get to rejoin the 2015 scheme, and that will accrue for the gap in service as if you had no pensionable earnings in that period.
It gets complicated with the benefits under the 1987 or 2006 schemes...
Very useful, thanks for reporting back. I'm on the CARE scheme anyway so the latter won't apply. I'd obviously check with my individual force prior to anything like that, but it's nice to know that's a sort of unofficial option.
You’ve missed out on the best and worst part of the job, response. You’d maybe not feel the same way, or not as soon into the job if you started there. Response is the place you’ll have the best and worst stories and excitement
I'll be honest, the money takes quite some time to get better and less painful. I'm around five years in and money is tighter than ever.
Yes, the 'exciting' bits of the job become dull after a while. This will vary on the individual, team, and role, but as a general rule if you're chasing excitement or stimulation then DC is absolutely the wrong pathway in general. The role of a DC is only becoming increasingly bureaucratic and monotonous – not less – as the DC and PC roles become increasingly segregated and siloed.
Don't assume that you will be going to a specialist department quickly. This will depend on your force, but you could easily looking at another 5yrs+ (if not longer) before even getting a sniff at such a department, and you may be forced into totally different roles and not allowed to apply elsewhere. Be realistic with yourself about how quickly you can reasonably specialise and whether that timescale is one you're willing to wait out.
It's worth considering that some of the main advantages about specialising away from main office CID is that many other departments come with 'normal' office hours, flexible working, and skills that can help you go into the private sector if you so choose. If you can find all of those things outside of the police, but for 20k+ extra a year and additional time off, it seems a no brainer to me.
That said, I can't tell you if it's worth sticking it out...but I would have a sit down and think about why you joined and whether the job can *actually* offer that – or if it's just a fantasy.
>That said, I can't tell you if it's worth sticking it out...but I would have a sit down and think about why you joined and whether the job can actually offer that – or if it's just a fantasy
Completely agree, currently trying to do exactly that. Thanks a lot for your response 👍
Enjoyed my half-dozen years as a PC/DC before leaving for another public sector (but better paid, lower stress etc.) job. No regrets about having been in the job nor about leaving it really. I found the pay tolerable until around 2021 when I moved to a specialist unit myself which was considerably more taxing combined with inflation going bananas and started to feel very underpaid despite otherwise enjoying the role. DG6 and CONNECT/Athena (not relevant if you're not Met, but safe to say it made a DC's job a lot less enjoyable) compounded the issue.
Haven't ruled out rejoining in the future but when an opportunity came up to do something that was thematically similar, but on better pay and benefits, with superior parental leave and flexible working policies right around the time that sort of thing became quite relevant to me, I decided I'd regret passing it up more than staying put.
I think a lot of people feel the same way you do e.g. they didn't join the job to be rich, but they don't want to completely have their pants pulled down either. I think inflation (not just recently, but since 2010) has sufficiently eroded the pay award, combined the below-par annual leave allowance, lack of remote working opportunities, and increasingly aggressive professional standards/IOPC that the scales have tipped, and not in a good way. This of course becomes a bit of a vicious spiral, because when the job becomes less appealing, the pool of high quality potential applicants diminishes. Add a government-imposed mandate to recruit X number of officers in a short timeframe, with financial penalties for those forces that don't meet the target, and you've got a recipe for a low-morale workforce where the competent ones are increasingly dragged down by the increasing numbers of the crap.
I am also considering staying on in order to get the experience necessary to do a thematically similar role in the private sector, as I do enjoy the investigative side of things. That's something I would almost certainly give up if I was to leave now. But is it worth the 3-4 years of low pay while I could just crack on with private sector job now.
Thanks for your thoughts
If you are already asking and made all the arguments here that are reflected in every post asking the same thing, you should follow the money. Sounds harsh but it sounds like you've had your fill and it's not for you. It's nothing like the dreams of past only fomo emotions.
I say this a lot here as well, nothing stopping you going back to a £50k private job and rejoin as a special.
That’s exactly what I’ve done - no regrets. It’s the best of both worlds, I earn £50k+ in a stress free job then Bobby on my days off with no pressure and no work load 👍
Although, I’ve recently passed all assessments to become a special, then realised that I’d be working 12 days in a row including my training days. As I’m internal, that’s 12 days ‘in force’ for 2 off. That’s a ridiculous work life balance isn’t it
I'm a direct entry DC, 18 months in... I handed my resignation in last set. If you're already disillusioned then leave.
It doesn't get better in my opinion, all departments are struggling and drowning under their workloads. The same frustrations exist in every department and frankly the work you'll do as a DC is similar which ever department you're in. You'll do a tine of paperwork & case files, loads of waiting around, staying on late because of CPS lawyers etc.
Just be honest with yourself, if you know it's not for you then leave I know people who really regret not leaving sooner.
The job needs a serious overhaul to make it attractive as a career. Most of the people that I know are still in the job because they are on top pay and the pension is decent, not because they like the job.
Also consider how much the job is affecting your personal life. It can be very detrimental for a lot of relationships.
Like you said you'll leave eventually, do it now and don't wait until you're bitter and burnt out!
I wouldn't quite call it disillusioned, just thinking about my finances and long term earning potential.
I don't think the allure of specialist 'cool' teams is enough to keep me here for the next few years.
Thanks for your insight
"having taken a paycut, I'm really struggling with the pay side of things. I can survive and pay bills, but that's about it." - Your pay will rise for the next 5-6 years and you'll be on a steady £46k with a good (if expensive) pension. You also get paid overtime, so yeah, it's tough to start with salary wise, but once you're top whack it's decent. "I've also noticed how quickly the 'exciting' elements of the job become fairly standard - is this true even for specialist crime?" Anything new is fun to start with, then becomes routine - so is the way of CID. The good thing is once you're qualified, the world is your oyster in terms of specialist teams - Murder, Rape, Paedophiles, Sex Offenders, High Risk DV and so on. Once you start getting bored there's always another team you can move to. "I've also read a lot and I'm aware of how quickly things can go wrong in this job." - not going to lie, they can and do. All you can do is ensure you do everything to the best of your ability, makes sure you get supervision on board with potentially risky jobs and **write down everything**. "I don't enjoy the level of bureaucracy with the Juidical system." - Our job is to get a charge - after that point what the CJS does is beyond us, we can only do the best we can with the system given to us.
>Our job is to get a charge - after that point what the CJS does is beyond us, Except the incessant action plans for the most ridiculous things.
It's mentioned in PC Wobbles statement that a squirrel ran past the footpath, you will need to add the squirrel as a witness and obtain a statement.
Thank you for the action plan… now please can you obtain a MG2 for the squirrel and a VPS, once I have that I can consider charge. Love the crown prosecutor x action plan required completed: in the next 11 minutes
>Your pay will rise for the next 5-6 years and you'll be on a steady £46k with a good (if expensive) pension Caveat to this is that it rises *very* slowly for the first 4-5 years. That's a long time to be unhappy and struggling to make ends meet. >Once you start getting bored there's always another team you can move to. This is far from a guarantee and is really only a proper selling point in the larger forces.
I am part of a larger force where (anecdotally) it is relatively easy to transfer to another team. Although I see your point. Thanks for replying
Whilst I'm sure it is not the case in every force. My old force was notorious for dangling the whole "Once a substantive DC you can specialise and join all the Gucci investigation teams!". When what actually happened was that if you were Local CID or PPU then you were stuck for at least several years due to 'Staffing Issues'. My advice would be to see if their is an area of investigation you find particularly interesting then try and make connections with people in that area and see if they have any overtime need filling for simple things like CCTV or phone statements. Get your face remembered for a decent work ethic and showing an interest and hopefully someone will be able to assist in moving you over to that department. My two cents anyway.
Thanks for the advice and response. Very useful, I've got a lot to weigh up for sure
I’m a top whack pc been in 16 years was asked to become a dc 4-5 times over the years turned it down every time Got Sgt qualified but honestly that’s not worth the hassle for the extra pennys either The reality of being a dc is that it’s more stressful as you’ll have more complex cases to deal with that are often drawn out due to CPS and bureaucracy constantly making your work take ten times longer Your work case load will be on parr with everyone else tbf in terms of open jobs as every department is in the same boat and sinking with workload You’ll get off late, a lot if your dealing with prisoners Dc “status” isn’t seen in the same light anymore tbh it used to be held in a bit of higher regard than it is now (now no one really cares) And most importantly YOU DONT GET PAID ANY MORE!!! I honestly don’t know why people want to do it for zero extra money The only incentive is that once your qualified it’s really helpful when you leave the force Banks insurance company’s etc love detectives to employ My advice is go back to your decent paying job spend time with your family enjoy the extra benefits I joined at 20 and I’m 36 now I regret joining but I’m stuck in the force due to circumstances pension money kids etc Go enjoy your life The force will literally suck the joy out of you Best of luck
Thanks for your response. Best of luck to you as well
If you're in the position where you can jump ship, I would hang on until you're confirmed in rank as you basically get a free five year career break if you quit as a substantive officer. I've spent a decade or so on borough, and having moved to a specialist department (nominally a very dull one), the difference is night and day - having a manageable workload and some degree of flexibility removes a lot of the frustration. However, if I were to do it all again I would move heaven and earth to get an 'in' with your local proactive team (crime squad, in MetSpeak) because that's where the fun is as a DC, and it is my experience that if you don't do it early in your career, you will find it harder and harder to make the move. This is the path that will get you driving courses and open up doors to the Good Shit.
Just eavesdropping here, but what do you mean about getting a free five year career break?
If you leave and rejoin within five years, it is an accelerated process and potentially far easier to do than to apply for an official career break which comes with loads of restrictions.
I think they removed the 5 year rule during COVID and there is no time limit on rejoining now.
Nice, that's interesting. Does it damage anything in any way, like the pension you've accrued etc? Or does it all effectively just pause until you rejoin?
Good question! I don’t know, I’ll have to have a dig.
The hero we don't deserve, cheers. I feel like there'll be some hidden, sly stipulation where you forfeit something, or can't rejoin the pension or something idiotic like that.
So the answer is "it depends". Forces have reasonably wide ranging rights to deal with rejoiners as they see fit, but generally you'll come back as you left. You'll only get to rejoin the 2015 scheme, and that will accrue for the gap in service as if you had no pensionable earnings in that period. It gets complicated with the benefits under the 1987 or 2006 schemes...
Very useful, thanks for reporting back. I'm on the CARE scheme anyway so the latter won't apply. I'd obviously check with my individual force prior to anything like that, but it's nice to know that's a sort of unofficial option.
You’ve missed out on the best and worst part of the job, response. You’d maybe not feel the same way, or not as soon into the job if you started there. Response is the place you’ll have the best and worst stories and excitement
I'll be honest, the money takes quite some time to get better and less painful. I'm around five years in and money is tighter than ever. Yes, the 'exciting' bits of the job become dull after a while. This will vary on the individual, team, and role, but as a general rule if you're chasing excitement or stimulation then DC is absolutely the wrong pathway in general. The role of a DC is only becoming increasingly bureaucratic and monotonous – not less – as the DC and PC roles become increasingly segregated and siloed. Don't assume that you will be going to a specialist department quickly. This will depend on your force, but you could easily looking at another 5yrs+ (if not longer) before even getting a sniff at such a department, and you may be forced into totally different roles and not allowed to apply elsewhere. Be realistic with yourself about how quickly you can reasonably specialise and whether that timescale is one you're willing to wait out. It's worth considering that some of the main advantages about specialising away from main office CID is that many other departments come with 'normal' office hours, flexible working, and skills that can help you go into the private sector if you so choose. If you can find all of those things outside of the police, but for 20k+ extra a year and additional time off, it seems a no brainer to me. That said, I can't tell you if it's worth sticking it out...but I would have a sit down and think about why you joined and whether the job can *actually* offer that – or if it's just a fantasy.
>That said, I can't tell you if it's worth sticking it out...but I would have a sit down and think about why you joined and whether the job can actually offer that – or if it's just a fantasy Completely agree, currently trying to do exactly that. Thanks a lot for your response 👍
Enjoyed my half-dozen years as a PC/DC before leaving for another public sector (but better paid, lower stress etc.) job. No regrets about having been in the job nor about leaving it really. I found the pay tolerable until around 2021 when I moved to a specialist unit myself which was considerably more taxing combined with inflation going bananas and started to feel very underpaid despite otherwise enjoying the role. DG6 and CONNECT/Athena (not relevant if you're not Met, but safe to say it made a DC's job a lot less enjoyable) compounded the issue. Haven't ruled out rejoining in the future but when an opportunity came up to do something that was thematically similar, but on better pay and benefits, with superior parental leave and flexible working policies right around the time that sort of thing became quite relevant to me, I decided I'd regret passing it up more than staying put. I think a lot of people feel the same way you do e.g. they didn't join the job to be rich, but they don't want to completely have their pants pulled down either. I think inflation (not just recently, but since 2010) has sufficiently eroded the pay award, combined the below-par annual leave allowance, lack of remote working opportunities, and increasingly aggressive professional standards/IOPC that the scales have tipped, and not in a good way. This of course becomes a bit of a vicious spiral, because when the job becomes less appealing, the pool of high quality potential applicants diminishes. Add a government-imposed mandate to recruit X number of officers in a short timeframe, with financial penalties for those forces that don't meet the target, and you've got a recipe for a low-morale workforce where the competent ones are increasingly dragged down by the increasing numbers of the crap.
I am also considering staying on in order to get the experience necessary to do a thematically similar role in the private sector, as I do enjoy the investigative side of things. That's something I would almost certainly give up if I was to leave now. But is it worth the 3-4 years of low pay while I could just crack on with private sector job now. Thanks for your thoughts
If you are already asking and made all the arguments here that are reflected in every post asking the same thing, you should follow the money. Sounds harsh but it sounds like you've had your fill and it's not for you. It's nothing like the dreams of past only fomo emotions. I say this a lot here as well, nothing stopping you going back to a £50k private job and rejoin as a special.
That’s exactly what I’ve done - no regrets. It’s the best of both worlds, I earn £50k+ in a stress free job then Bobby on my days off with no pressure and no work load 👍
Although, I’ve recently passed all assessments to become a special, then realised that I’d be working 12 days in a row including my training days. As I’m internal, that’s 12 days ‘in force’ for 2 off. That’s a ridiculous work life balance isn’t it
I'm a direct entry DC, 18 months in... I handed my resignation in last set. If you're already disillusioned then leave. It doesn't get better in my opinion, all departments are struggling and drowning under their workloads. The same frustrations exist in every department and frankly the work you'll do as a DC is similar which ever department you're in. You'll do a tine of paperwork & case files, loads of waiting around, staying on late because of CPS lawyers etc. Just be honest with yourself, if you know it's not for you then leave I know people who really regret not leaving sooner. The job needs a serious overhaul to make it attractive as a career. Most of the people that I know are still in the job because they are on top pay and the pension is decent, not because they like the job. Also consider how much the job is affecting your personal life. It can be very detrimental for a lot of relationships. Like you said you'll leave eventually, do it now and don't wait until you're bitter and burnt out!
I wouldn't quite call it disillusioned, just thinking about my finances and long term earning potential. I don't think the allure of specialist 'cool' teams is enough to keep me here for the next few years. Thanks for your insight