Retired Police + What to do next

In the UK it is standard practice for police to work for 30 years, after which they are eligible for a full police pension. In England and Wales alone there are over 142,000 police officers and given that many would have started their journey in the police in their late teens or early twenties, it means they can expect to retire in their early 50's. This is a lot earlier than most of us can look forward to, and is indeed a comparatively young age in which to find yourself at the end of your career.

So, what can a retired police officer do next? Many will of course enjoy their free time pursuing a variety of leisure interests, but for others, this can be a slightly boring or frustrating time and they may look to continue contributing towards society. The value ex-police officers can offer is sometimes unfairly undervalued but with an ever ageing workforce, their skills and experience are being increasingly seen as an extremely valuable asset to businesses in the private sector as well as within a continuing public servant role.

In fact, Scotland's police chiefs have recently announced they are considering plans to draft retired police officers in to bolster their staff numbers should there be a worsening of the swine flu (or any other) epidemic. Be that as it may, what are the more immediate options for retired police officers looking to get back into work after so many years on the force?

Well, many retired police may continue to work in law enforcement jobs but within a slightly different setting. For example there are many opportunities in Anti-Social Behaviour, Licensing, Noise Pollution, Waste Services, Parking / Traffic, Planning, CCTV, Community Safety to name but a few. All of these kinds of job vacancies would highly value the experience brought from thirty years in the force. This would allow full utilisation of all the skills that have been built up, with the opportunity to apply them in a new and exciting environment working for a whole host of different organisations.

Alternatively, there are a number of police jobs as civilian support within the various police forces, or a move into fraud investigation could be considered. The most important thing to remember is that your skills will be highly values by a number of different employers across all sectors, so as long as you are prepared for a fresh challenge, this could be a very exciting time in your life if you are approaching police retirement. If you are not sure what to do next, speaking to your friends, family and colleagues is a great place to start, but also consider contacting an experienced recruitment consultant who understands your specific needs and ambitions can certainly help put you on the path to your new vocation in life.