Can anyone help?

Is anyone a dog handler? Do you need an SIA licence for working with sniffer dogs and that type of job role? Or is it just security such as patrolling etc?

Also, the police, do you have to be in specials for 2 years before you can even be in the police and also when your in, do you need 2 years experience before you can apply for dog handler type jobs?

Hope someone can help, sick of my job and need to do something about it now

> the police, do you have to be in specials for 2 years before you can even be in the police

Police Recruitment Information.

thanks for that
Does anyone know how much you actually have to push and pull for the fitness test, as i would pass the physical beep test as i am really fit, but the strenght test is another kettle of fish as i am quite "weak" lol!

The Push/Pull for women is 39Kg in Scotland.  Shouldn't be much different elsewhere.  (some Forces will let you in even if you fail!)

omg i do not know if that is a lot or not, but what i do know is  that i do not think i can push and pull 20 if i remember correctly from the gym, quite puny you see.. oh dear :(

Soemthing to train for if i get accepted though isnt it i guess...

Well if you compare it to the man's one, they have to push/pull 65Kg.  So if you go to the gym regularly and have a strong back and stomach you should be fine.  I can do 37Kg, and thats a paper pusher who doesn't go to the gym or exercise at all.

You definitely have to do a few years on the beat before you can be a police dog handler, that's what put me off many years ago :)

what about considering other handling jobs in the forces maybe? I have friends in raf dog handling and they have a grand time!

The dog handler role in the Police is very well sort after and there is stiff competition to get in.
You don't need to be in the specials but do need to of completed 2 yrs on the job and passed your probation on the beat/response. The handler jobs in our force come up very rarely and then you will have a large amount of people applying for it. You have to pass a paper interview first, then you have an infinity day with the dogs to see how you interact with them and then you have an interview. There is a bit more to it, but you could be offered a job in the dog unit and then a year down the line find no one has left the unit so no positions available and then you would have to reapply again.
BTP have a large dog unit and they maybe worth looking into, mainly passive dogs rather than GPD(Your Shepherds).
The military and also MOD Police maybe worth looking into, again though which ever area you go into getting into the dog unit will be tough.

If you go into these areas you must be tough in yourself and beware that you do tend to work alone in these units and go to jobs on your own and have to be able to handle yourself in many situations, many don't even need the dog for jobs they go to.

Thank you for your reply, i was thinking that the police would be hard to get into dog handling with... dont like the RAF as might get killed lol, more danger seems to me and stuff...

Are BTP British Transport Police, is that who you mean there?

thanks for your reply, i am still researching it all though and gathering as much info as posisble

Are you in the police then suejaw?

useful information there suejaw will pass it on to my son. He is 20and has decided he wants to go into the police but no vacancies atm in met or the counties. So his current plan is joining the Officer Training Corps while  finishing his degree and then either the police or the army. Police I can handle but the army ! Hadn't thought of BTP good idea to consider.

FF, What may also be of help to him in getting in is to become a special while he is still studying(if he has time) and while waiting for vacancies to come up in one of the forces of his choice.
He would then have the same powers as Police, go through a shorter probation period and also then get a real idea of what the job entails and would then know if its for him or not. So ALL the paperwork he would do, types of jobs etc, hours to a certain degree. Many specials help out on the weekend late shifts, so very very busy times. He would get some form of payment for doing this, but i think its something which would be helpful to him in many ways.

Thanks for that will also mention that to him. I am actually very proud of him because having had a few challenges to overcome regarding school and a couple of years stressing me out to the max  slightly/potentially looking like he was the wrong way up the tracks. Thank god given what he wants now no involvement with the authorities unlike many around us.He seems to have grown up recently and wants to do something with his life his words not mine. he is ays he is fed up of those around him going nowhere and doing stuff he is'nt interested in. It makes me feel  that I did something right somewhere

> omg i do not know if that is a lot or not, but what i do know is  that i do not think i can push and pull 20 if i remember correctly from the gym, quite puny you see.. oh dear :-(
>
> Soemthing to train for if i get accepted though isnt it i guess...

I did a public services course at college and we did the police fitness test once - it was EASY!!! If its something you want to do then train but dont go overboard! You dont need to be really really muscular just a good level of fitness as well as the other attributes (obviously). My friend has just joined the Met and she is very tiny - a petite size 10. She is of average fitness but is a very good people person and i can imagine she shined on the recruitment day.

If you really want to work as a dog handler you have fierce competiton and could spend years as a PC before getting a chance into the dog unit so it is something you seriously need to consider. also being a PC could be a complete change of lifestyle and you need to be sure thats what you want.

Good luck

Thank you everybody, its much appriciated all your advice, i am just going to carry on looking into it, as their are no vacancies at the moment anyway so gives me a bit of a chance to research before taking the bull by the horns and jumping in feet first if that makes sense lol!

Glad you said that about your friend though, as i am a weed lol so should be ok with a bit of training for the strength part i think

xx