Recruitment Update - 10/07/2024

We are pleased to advise that it is our intention to continue making offers of appointment, with further Student Officer Development Courses planned to commence regularly between September 2024 and March 2025. 

We will therefore continue to process all candidates through the remaining pre-employment stages and appreciate your ongoing commitment to pursuing a career within the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Recruitment Update - 11/04/2024

We are pleased to advise that the Department of Justice has now granted approval to implement the 2023/24 pay award for Police Officers. As a result, all Student Officers appointed after 1st September 2023 will enter at point 1 of the salary scale (£28,551). Following successful completion of their training, officers will remain on point 1 for the first year as a Probationary Constable. All Probationary Constables will move to pay point 2 (£29,751) after completing 12 months of the 2 year probation period. The Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance is also payable at the increased rate of £3,924. Please use the following link to access further information on the updated salary scale; Your Pay Scale.

Please check here for the latest information on the progress of the 2021 Campaign.

2025 Recruitment - Recruitment Process Ongoing - Update 31/07/2025

We hope to give an update to all candidates participating in the 2025 Student Officer recruitment process.

The Deloitte Managed Stages of recruitment are drawing to a close. Deloitte has now issued Assessment Centre results to all candidates and finalised the 2025 Merit List. 

Please check your email inbox (including junk folders) if you are expecting to hear the outcome of your Assessment Centre.

Congratulations to those who have been included on the Merit List - please check your inbox regularly in case you are contacted by the PSNI Team. It is expected that they will contact you with information in the coming weeks on the next steps regarding the PSNI Managed Stages of the recruitment process.   

To those candidates not included on the Merit List this time, please accept our sincere thanks for your participation in the recruitment process and for your co-operation throughout.

Please check here for the latest information on the progress of the 2025 Campaign. 

2026 Student Officer Recruitment  - IST phase closing soon.

The Initial Selection Test (IST) phase of the 2026 Student Officer recruitment process in underway. Thanks to those who have participated to date!

If you are yet to participate, there is limited time left for you to do your IST. The deadline will be firm and we encourage everyone to attempt the IST well in advance of the closing time. 

Candidates are asked to check their email (including junk folder) for their invitation to complete the Online IST. 

If you have applied to the 2026 Student Officer recruitment process and are having difficulty locating your IST invitation, it is essential that you contact info@joinpsni.co.uk in advance of the IST deadline so that your IST invitation can be re-issued.  

The Student Officer Online IST must be completed before 11.59pm on 2nd March 2026. Remember - Early completion is encouraged. 

Candidates are asked to note that it is possible for both Student Officer recruitment and Police Staff recruitment processes to be at IST stage simultaneously. If you have applied to both a Student Officer role and a Police Staff role, these will be separate recruitment processes with separate ISTs. If you have applied to several separate roles, you must follow all separate instructions issued by email. It is important not to confuse separate ISTs. If you are completing ISTs for both a Student Officer role and a Police Staff role around the same time, take extra care when registering on the IST platform, as distinct registration processes apply for each recruitment process. 

Please check back here regularly on Recruitment News (2026 tab) in case of any urgent updates.  

Good luck for your IST! 

Future Recruitment 

The 2026 Student Officer recruitment process closed on 4th February 2026. Those who applied are currently progressing through the 2026 recruitment process.  

Currently, we have no details on when exactly future recruitment will be open to fresh applications. We encourage you to check back regularly for updates and thank you for your interest in a role with the Police Service of Northern Ireland.

Make it a career.