PSNI Transferee
Scheme 2026
The PSNI opened a Transferee Scheme on 12 October 2026 for serving constables and detective constables in other forces. What is published, what is not, what you would be paid and the questions to put in your email before you commit to a move.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 23 October 2026 · Northern Ireland unless stated
Yes, if you are a serving officer at Constable rank, including Detective Constables. The PSNI opened its Transferee Scheme on 12 October 2026, alongside the student officer campaign. It is run by the PSNI, not Deloitte. Register your interest by email to TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk and the eligibility criteria and process are sent to you. Your pay point is based on confirmed reckonable service and set at offer, plus the £4,283 NITA. Minimum service, training length and probation rules are not published.
The PSNI Transferee Scheme in short
On 12 October 2026 the Police Service of Northern Ireland launched its new student officer campaign and, with it, a scheme for officers already serving elsewhere. In the PSNI's words, it is "welcoming serving officers with policing skills and experience to apply to transfer directly to PSNI".
- Who: "serving officers at Constable rank, including Detective Constables".
- Run by: the PSNI itself. Deloitte runs the student officer campaign, not this scheme.
- How: register by email to TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk. Eligibility and process details are sent on request.
- Pay: a constable pay point based on confirmed reckonable service, discussed at offer, plus the £4,283 Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance.
- Pension: the Police Pension Scheme (NI) 2015, with legacy rights kept only if you contact PSNI Pensions Branch before joining.
- Moving: relocation and removal expenses may be available, with no break in service and approval before you spend.
- Not published: minimum service, which forces count, fitness, training length, probation, pay protection and the legal basis.
What the Transferee Scheme is
The scheme lets a constable serving in another police service move to the PSNI as a serving officer, rather than resigning and starting again as a student officer. The PSNI announced it on 12 October 2026, the day its October 2026 student officer campaign opened. Its recruitment homepage lists the scheme as open.
It matters because, until recently, there was no such route. In January 2025 the PSNI told a Freedom of Information requester that there was "no legislative provision for serving officers in other police services to laterally transfer" to it. The PSNI has not published what changed to allow transfers now. See before October 2026.
The student officer campaign (Campaign 2610) is run with Deloitte and has its own online test and Assessment Centre. The Transferee Scheme is run by the PSNI and starts with an email. They are different routes with different steps. Do not assume the student officer rules on this site apply to transferees.
Who can apply
The only eligibility criterion the PSNI has published is the one in its announcement: serving officers at Constable rank, including Detective Constables.
| Question | Published answer |
|---|---|
| Must I be serving now? | Yes. The scheme is for serving officers. |
| Which rank? | Constable, including Detective Constables. |
| Sergeants and above? | Not covered by the published wording. |
| Which forces count? | Not published. Sent by email on request. |
| Minimum length of service? | Not published. |
| Must I have finished probation? | Not published. |
| Fitness requirement? | Not published for transferees. New officers must pass the PSNI's obstacle-course PCA. |
| Special constables, PCSOs or former officers? | The published wording is serving officers at Constable rank. Nothing we read includes specials, PCSOs or officers who have left. |
If you are a former officer rather than a serving one, there is no separate PSNI rejoiner scheme advertised. The student officer route is open. The PSNI places candidates with previous police service on a pay point based on confirmed reckonable service.
How to register your interest
- Email TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk. The PSNI says eligibility and process details are sent on request.
- Say who you are. Your current force, rank (constable or detective constable) and how long you have served. Keep it brief: you are asking for the criteria, not applying yet.
- Ask your questions in the same email. The questions list below covers what is not published.
- Ask for an informal chat with a serving officer. The PSNI offers one-to-one chats on request.
- If you were in a legacy police pension scheme, contact PSNI Pensions Branch before you join. See your pension.
The PSNI advises everyone applying to be a police officer to tell only people they trust, take care on social media and keep documents secure. It applies the same caution to dates and venues of assessments, induction and training. Do not post about your transfer plans online.
Transferee Scheme or the student officer route?
The PSNI says you may apply through either route. Here is how they compare on what is published.
| Transferee Scheme | Student officer route | |
|---|---|---|
| Who runs it | The PSNI | Deloitte for the early stages, then the PSNI |
| Who can apply | Serving officers at Constable rank, including DCs | Anyone eligible: 17 to 57 at the closing date, 5 GCSEs including English Language, right to work |
| How to start | Email TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk | Online application, closing 3pm on Monday 30 November 2026 |
| Tests | Not published | Initial Selection Test in December 2026 (exact dates to be confirmed), then an Assessment Centre |
| Training | Length not published | 22-week Student Officer Development Programme at the Police College, Belfast |
| Probation | Not published | Two years on the Probationary Officer Development Programme, then a commitment year |
| Pay point | Based on confirmed reckonable service, discussed at offer | Point 1 (£31,163) for new officers; previous service is assessed at offer |
| NITA | £4,283 | £4,283 |
| Pension | PPS (NI) 2015; legacy rights if Pensions Branch is contacted before joining | The same |
If the Transferee Scheme criteria do not fit you, the student officer route remains open. See the how to join the PSNI hub and the campaign timeline.
How serving officers joined before October 2026
The PSNI's January 2025 FOI answer (FOI/00013463, "Direct Entry Constables") is the best record of how things worked before the scheme. It said:
- there was "no legislative provision for serving officers in other police services to laterally transfer";
- the only routes in were the student officer programme or promotion processes for Chief Inspector and above;
- serving officers who joined as student officers did the full 22-week course;
- they could have part or all of their probation waived;
- they kept continuity of service, pension and salary.
That is useful background for your questions. It shows the PSNI had already found ways to recognise previous service for officers who came in as students. Whether the Transferee Scheme goes further, for example on training length or probation, is not published.
The PSNI has not published the legislative change, if any, that now allows lateral transfer. We have not guessed at it. If the legal basis matters to you, for example for continuity of service, ask the Transferee team to confirm it in writing.
What you would be paid as a PSNI constable
The PSNI's pay scale page says candidates with previous police service are placed on a pay point based on confirmed reckonable service, discussed only at offer. So you will not know your exact point until then. What you can see now is the scale itself, in force from 1 September 2025.
| Constable point | Basic pay | Basic plus NITA (our arithmetic) | Monthly gross (our arithmetic) | Pension rate on basic pay |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Point 1 | £31,163 | £35,446 | £2,954 | 13.66% (£4,257 a year) |
| Point 2 | £32,473 | £36,756 | £3,063 | 13.66% (£4,436 a year) |
| Point 3 | £33,789 | £38,072 | £3,173 | 13.66% (£4,616 a year) |
| Point 4 | £35,105 | £39,388 | £3,282 | 13.66% (£4,795 a year) |
| Point 5 | £37,737 | £42,020 | £3,502 | 13.66% (£5,155 a year) |
| Point 6 | £43,039 | £47,322 | £3,944 | 13.66% (£5,879 a year) |
| Point 7 | £50,257 | £54,540 | £4,545 | 13.66% (£6,865 a year) |
- NITA is on top of basic pay. The Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance is £4,283 a year from 1 September 2025 (up from £4,110). The PRRB describes it as taxable, non-pensionable and received by all police officers. It is worth 13.7% of basic pay at point 1 and 8.5% at point 7 (our arithmetic).
- The PSNI's own headline: "Start on over £35k... with the ability to earn up to £54k at Constable level". Point 7 plus NITA is £54,540 (our arithmetic).
- Increments: constables move to point 2 twelve months after joining. Later increment timing is not set out on the recruitment pages.
- Pension rate: every constable point is below £60,000, so the member rate on basic pay is 13.66% to March 2027.
These are the 2025/26 figures. At 23 October 2026 no 2026/27 PSNI pay award had been published; the PRRB review began on 24 February 2026. For context only, secondary sources (the Police Federation of England and Wales and Police Professional) report that England and Wales officers were awarded 3.5% from 1 September 2026. PSNI pay is set separately under broad alignment. Awards have often been paid late: the 2025/26 award was paid in January 2026, backdated. Follow the PSNI pay rise tracker.
To compare like with like, put your current gross pay into your own force's payslip figures and the PSNI point you expect into the PSNI take-home pay calculator, which handles NITA and the Northern Ireland pension rates.
Worked examples: three possible pay points
The PSNI decides your pay point at offer from your confirmed reckonable service. It does not publish how years of service convert into points, so these are "if placed on" examples, not predictions. All figures are our arithmetic on the 2025/26 scale, before Income Tax and National Insurance.
| Placement | Basic pay | NITA | Gross | Monthly gross | Pension contribution (13.66% of basic) | Gross less pension |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| If placed on point 3 | £33,789 | £4,283 | £38,072 | £3,173 | £4,616 | £33,456 |
| If placed on point 5 | £37,737 | £4,283 | £42,020 | £3,502 | £5,155 | £36,865 |
| If placed on point 7 (top) | £50,257 | £4,283 | £54,540 | £4,545 | £6,865 | £47,675 |
Two things to notice. First, the pension contribution is worked out on basic pay only, because NITA is not pensionable. Second, the gap between point 5 and point 7 is £12,520 on basic pay (our arithmetic), so which point you are placed on matters a great deal. That is why the question "how will my pay point be worked out?" belongs in your first email.
Pay rules that work differently in Northern Ireland
Basic pay is only part of the comparison. The PRRB's 2025 report sets out how PSNI pay rules differ from England and Wales. If you are moving from a force in England or Wales, these are the differences it records:
| Item | PSNI | Compared with England and Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance | £4,283, taxable and non-pensionable | Unique to the PSNI |
| Unsocial Hours Allowance | None in Northern Ireland | Listed by the PRRB as a difference |
| Regional allowances | None in Northern Ireland | Listed by the PRRB as a difference |
| TVP payments | None in Northern Ireland | Listed by the PRRB as a difference |
| Competence Related Threshold Payment | Retained: £1,224, pensionable | Abolished in England and Wales |
| Casual overtime | Time and one third | The same |
| Rest day cancelled with fewer than 15 days' notice | Time and a half | The same |
| Rest day cancelled with fewer than 3 days' notice | Double time | The PRRB records that Northern Ireland changed this notice period from 5 days to 3 |
| Recall to duty | 4-hour minimum payment retained | Abolished in England and Wales |
| Annual leave on joining | 25 days, plus 8 Northern Ireland public holidays | 25 days on joining (the same) |
In practice this means a move can change your pay in ways a basic-pay comparison misses. If you currently receive a regional allowance or unsocial hours payments, they do not exist in the PSNI. NITA and CRTP do. The PRRB recommended allowance rates from September 2025, but implementation of each allowance was not separately confirmed in the sources we read, so check the current rates with PSNI HR.
Northern Ireland's 8 public holidays are New Year's Day, St Patrick's Day, the first Monday in May, the last Monday in May, 12 July, the last Monday in August, Christmas Day and 26 December, plus substitute days.
Your police pension if you transfer
Pensions are where a transfer needs most care, because one step has to happen before you join.
| Your situation | What the PSNI publishes |
|---|---|
| You are in the 2015 scheme in your current force | PSNI joiners are automatically enrolled into the Police Pension Scheme (NI) 2015. Pensionable service can be transferred in on application. |
| You are in the Police Pension Scheme 1987 (Great Britain) | You keep legacy rights only "provided they make contact with the PSNI Pensions Branch prior to joining". |
| You are in the 2006 scheme | The same: contact Pensions Branch before joining to keep legacy rights. The 2006 scheme's normal pension age is 55. |
| You were in the Police Pension Scheme 1988 (Northern Ireland) | The same rule applies. |
- Accrual: 1/55.3 of pensionable earnings each scheme year, the same as the 2015 scheme in England and Wales.
- Normal pension age: 60, with retirement from 55 on actuarially reduced benefits.
- Contributions: 13.66% below £60,000 of annualised pensionable earnings and 14.00% at £60,000 or more, from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027. The rates from April 2027 are not yet confirmed.
- NITA is not pensionable, so it does not count towards your pension or your contribution rate.
- Who runs it: the Northern Ireland Policing Board is the scheme manager. Day-to-day contact is PSNI Pensions Branch (pensions@psni.pnn.police.uk).
The PSNI's wording is that legacy rights are kept "provided they make contact with the PSNI Pensions Branch prior to joining". If you have any service in the 1987, 1988 or 2006 schemes, make that contact in writing and keep the reply. The PSNI does not publish what happens if you leave it until after you join, so do not risk it.
More detail on the scheme is on our PSNI pension guide. For the general mechanics of moving pension service between police forces, see transfer pay and pension explained, which is written for England and Wales.
Relocation and removal expenses
The PSNI says relocation and removal expenses may be available to transferees. The two conditions it publishes:
- No break in service. You move from your current force to the PSNI without a gap.
- Approval before spending. Get the PSNI's approval before you commit to any cost.
"May be available" is not a promise. The amounts, what counts as a relocation or removal cost and whether there is a repayment clause if you leave early are not published. Ask for the policy in writing before you sign a tenancy, book removals or put a house on the market.
Keeping continuous service usually means agreeing a leaving date with your current force that lines up with your PSNI start date. Agree both dates in writing before you hand in notice. That is our practical advice, not a published PSNI rule.
Detective constables
The scheme is explicitly open to Detective Constables. The PSNI's wording, "serving officers at Constable rank, including Detective Constables", treats a detective constable as a constable in a detective role.
For its own officers the PSNI describes detective work as a specialism open after probation, alongside roles such as Public Protection Branch and the Rape Crime Unit. It has not published whether a transferring detective constable joins in a detective role, starts in a Local Policing Team or has to apply for a detective post after arriving. If staying a detective matters to you, ask before you go further.
Firearms: every PSNI officer is armed
This is the biggest practical change for most officers moving from Great Britain. The PSNI's recruitment pages say: "In Northern Ireland, police officers are required to be trained to use and to carry a firearm whilst on duty."
- Officers must pass a PSNI accredited firearms course.
- Operational officers do a refresher every six months; non-operational officers every year.
- Officers are routinely equipped with a personal sidearm, handcuffs, PAVA, baton and body armour.
The PSNI has not published how firearms training works for transferees, including whether any previous firearms qualification counts. Ask. If you have never carried a firearm, think carefully about whether that is a role you want before you start the process.
Personal security
The PSNI is open about the security context. It says the local situation can expose officers "or those applying to be police officers" to "a higher level of personal risk than most other people". The PRRB describes NITA as recognising that officers and their families in Northern Ireland "must live with the constant threat of a terrorist attack and the other adverse effects of the political context".
The PSNI's published advice for applicants is to be discreet about your application, tell only people you trust, take care on social media and keep documents secure. Personal security is a topic at the PSNI's induction for new officers. The PSNI does not publish further advice on where to live or home security, so we do not give any.
If you are moving with a partner or children, talk to them about this before you register. It is part of what the allowance exists to recognise.
Postings and the 11 districts
For new officers, the PSNI says: "You will not ordinarily be allocated to the District in which you reside once you have completed your initial training." Allocation is "based primarily on organisational need" by PSNI HR, with local management choosing the station. You may express an interest. You "may be required to work anywhere within Northern Ireland".
| # | Policing district |
|---|---|
| 1 | Antrim and Newtownabbey |
| 2 | Ards and North Down |
| 3 | Armagh, Banbridge and Craigavon |
| 4 | Belfast City |
| 5 | Causeway Coast and Glens |
| 6 | Derry City and Strabane |
| 7 | Fermanagh and Omagh |
| 8 | Lisburn and Castlereagh |
| 9 | Mid Ulster |
| 10 | Mid and East Antrim |
| 11 | Newry, Mourne and Down |
Whether the same posting rule applies to transferees is not published. If you are moving to be near family, ask directly how postings are decided for transferees before you commit. New officers spend their first three years in Local Policing Teams on a five-week pattern of early, late and night shifts: ask whether a transferee's previous service changes that.
Vetting
The PSNI has not published the vetting steps for transferees. For student officer applicants it runs two separate processes, Police Vetting and National Security Vetting. It checks "your wider family circle and other associates". Applicants must declare associations including anyone with "links to criminal or paramilitary activity".
Expect to be vetted again by the PSNI whatever your current clearance. Ask the Transferee team which forms apply, how long they expect vetting to take and whether your current force's vetting is taken into account. Our PSNI vetting guide explains the student officer process in detail.
Shifts, leave and working life
What the PSNI publishes about working life for its officers. These rules are published for new officers; ask whether anything differs for transferees.
| Topic | What the PSNI says |
|---|---|
| Shift pattern | Local Policing Team officers work early, late and night shifts on a five-week pattern: in a typical five weeks about 7 earlies, 7 lates and 7 nights, three or four of any shift at a time, then rest days. |
| Overtime | May be required, sometimes at a short period of notice. |
| Annual leave | 25 days for officers below Superintendent with less than 6 years' relevant service (200 hours on shifts), plus 8 Northern Ireland public holidays. Leave after 6 years is not published on the recruitment pages. |
| First years | New officers spend their first three years in Local Policing Teams: two years' probation plus a commitment year. |
| Flexible working | Part-time working is not available during training. Flexible working may be requested after attestation. |
| Second jobs | Possible with prior approval, reviewed annually. |
| Off-duty standards | Officers must abstain from political activity, disclose certain memberships and be circumspect on social media and sometimes in social relationships. |
Talk to a serving PSNI officer first
The PSNI offers informal one-to-one chats with serving officers on request. Use it. A transfer to Northern Ireland changes more than your force badge. A serving officer can tell you what the published pages cannot.
Useful topics for the chat:
- what carrying a firearm on every shift is like day to day;
- how personal security affects life off duty;
- what the five-week shift pattern means for family life;
- how postings work in practice for someone moving from outside Northern Ireland;
- which specialisms are open after the first years and how long it takes to reach them.
Is a transfer to the PSNI right for you?
A short self-check, built from what the PSNI publishes. If you answer "no" or "not sure" to any of these, that is the thing to raise in your informal chat or first email.
- Am I a serving constable or detective constable now?
- Am I willing to be trained to carry a firearm and carry one on every shift?
- Am I comfortable with the personal security context for me and my family?
- Can I work anywhere in Northern Ireland, not only near home?
- Have I checked my pension position with PSNI Pensions Branch?
- Does my pay still work once regional or unsocial hours allowances are gone and NITA is added?
- Can I move without a break in service?
A step-by-step plan for a transfer
Our suggested order, built from what the PSNI publishes. It is not an official PSNI process.
| Step | What to do | Why |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Email TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk for the eligibility criteria and process | The criteria are only sent on request |
| 2 | Ask for an informal chat with a serving officer | Test the job against your expectations |
| 3 | Contact PSNI Pensions Branch if you have 1987, 1988 or 2006 scheme service | Legacy rights depend on contact before joining |
| 4 | Get your service record and pensionable service details from your current force | Your PSNI pay point is based on confirmed reckonable service |
| 5 | Run the likely PSNI pay points through the take-home calculator | Compare monthly pay, not just salary |
| 6 | Ask for the relocation policy in writing | Approval is needed before you spend |
| 7 | Decide between the Transferee Scheme and the student officer route | You may apply through either |
| 8 | Agree leaving and start dates in writing | No break in service is a condition for relocation expenses |
Questions to ask when you email
Everything below is either unpublished or only published for student officers. Put the questions that matter to you in your first email to TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk and keep the replies.
- What is the minimum length of service to apply?
- Which police services count: Home Office forces, Police Scotland, British Transport Police, others?
- Do I need to have completed probation in my current force?
- Is there a fitness test for transferees? Is it the PCA obstacle course?
- How long is the training for transferees? Does it include the full firearms course?
- Will I serve a probation period with the PSNI? If so, how long?
- How will my pay point be worked out from my reckonable service?
- Is there any pay protection if the PSNI point is lower than my current pay?
- What relocation and removal costs are covered and up to what amount? Is there a repayment clause?
- Does the PSNI's rule about not being posted to your home district apply to transferees?
- Which vetting forms do transferees complete? Is my current vetting taken into account?
- What is the legal basis for the transfer? Will my continuity of service be confirmed in writing?
- When are the transferee intakes? How long does the process usually take?
Keep every reply with the date and the name of the sender. If the answer on pay point, pension or relocation is important to your decision, ask for it to be confirmed in your offer.
Mistakes to avoid
- Resigning before you have an offer. Relocation expenses depend on no break in service. A gap could also affect how your previous service is treated.
- Joining before contacting Pensions Branch if you have legacy scheme service. The PSNI's wording requires contact before joining.
- Spending on the move before approval. The PSNI says approval comes before spending.
- Comparing basic pay only. NITA, CRTP and the absence of regional and unsocial hours allowances all change the picture.
- Assuming you will be posted near family. New officers are not ordinarily posted to their home district.
- Assuming student officer rules apply to you. The Transferee Scheme is a separate PSNI-run process.
- Talking about your application publicly. The PSNI asks applicants to be discreet.
What we could not verify
The PSNI sends the Transferee Scheme details by email, so most of the rules are not public. As at 23 October 2026 we could not confirm the following and have not stated them as fact:
- The minimum length of service required.
- Which police services count for the scheme.
- Any fitness requirement for transferees.
- The length of training on transfer, including firearms training.
- Whether transferees serve a probation period.
- Any pay protection. How reckonable service is converted into a pay point.
- The legislative basis for lateral transfer to the PSNI.
- The amounts and terms of relocation and removal expenses.
- Whether the home-district posting rule applies to transferees.
- Intake dates, numbers and how long the process takes.
- Any 2026/27 PSNI pay award.
- Pension contribution rates from 1 April 2027.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I transfer to the PSNI from a police force in Great Britain?
Yes, if you are a serving officer at Constable rank, including Detective Constables. The PSNI opened its Transferee Scheme on 12 October 2026, alongside its student officer campaign. The detailed eligibility criteria are sent by email when you register your interest.
How do I apply for the PSNI Transferee Scheme?
Register your interest by email to TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk. The PSNI says the eligibility criteria and process details are sent on request. The scheme is run by the PSNI itself, not by Deloitte, which runs the student officer campaign.
Can sergeants or inspectors transfer to the PSNI?
The scheme as published is for serving officers at Constable rank, including Detective Constables. In January 2025 the PSNI said officers from other services could also come in through its promotion processes for Chief Inspector and above. Nothing we read opens the Transferee Scheme to sergeants or inspectors.
How much will I be paid if I transfer to the PSNI?
The PSNI places officers with previous police service on a pay point based on confirmed reckonable service, discussed at offer. The 2025/26 constable scale runs from £31,163 to £50,257. Every officer also receives the £4,283 Northern Ireland Transitional Allowance. Which point you get is confirmed only at offer.
Do I have to do the full PSNI training if I transfer?
The PSNI has not published the training length for transferees. Before the scheme existed, serving officers who joined as student officers did the full 22-week course. Ask how much training applies to you when you register, including firearms training, because every PSNI officer must be trained to carry a firearm on duty.
Will I have to do probation again?
Not published for the Transferee Scheme. In January 2025 the PSNI said serving officers who joined through the student officer route could have part or all of their probation waived. Whether that applies to transferees is one of the questions to ask.
What happens to my police pension if I transfer to the PSNI?
New joiners go into the Police Pension Scheme (NI) 2015. Members of the 1987 scheme in Great Britain, the 1988 Northern Ireland scheme or the 2006 scheme keep their legacy rights only if they contact PSNI Pensions Branch before joining. Pensionable service can be transferred into the 2015 scheme on application.
Will the PSNI pay my relocation costs?
Relocation and removal expenses may be available. The PSNI's conditions as published are that there is no break in service and that you get approval before you spend anything. Ask for the full rules in writing before you commit to a move.
Can I apply for the Transferee Scheme and the student officer campaign?
The PSNI says you may apply through either the Transferee Scheme or the student officer route. The student officer campaign closes at 3pm on Monday 30 November 2026. Ask the Transferee team which route suits you before you choose.
Will I be posted near my family in Northern Ireland?
Not necessarily. For new officers the PSNI says you will not ordinarily be allocated to the district where you live and that you may be required to work anywhere in Northern Ireland. Allocation is based primarily on organisational need. Ask whether the same rule applies to transferees.
Is there a minimum length of service to transfer to the PSNI?
The PSNI has not published one. Only the headline criterion is public: serving officers at Constable rank, including Detective Constables. Minimum service, which forces count and any fitness requirement are in the details sent by email.
Can I speak to a PSNI officer before applying?
Yes. The PSNI offers informal one-to-one chats with serving officers on request. Use the chat to ask about day-to-day policing, firearms, security and postings before you decide.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 23 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- PSNI news, 12 October 2026: new drive for student officers and police staff (Transferee Scheme) : Transferee Scheme opened 12 October 2026 alongside the student officer campaign; serving officers at Constable rank including Detective Constables; register by email (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Police Officer Recruitment (recruitment news and application status) : Transferee Scheme status; scheme run by the PSNI; register by email to TransfereeScheme@psni.police.uk (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Help and FAQs : eligibility and process sent on request; relocation and removal expenses with no break in service and approval before spending; informal one-to-one chats; either route; postings; shift pattern (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PSNI FOI/00013463: Direct Entry Constables (27 January 2025) : January 2025: no legislative provision for lateral transfer; serving officers joining as students did the full 22 weeks, could have probation waived and kept continuity of service, pension and salary (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Your Pay Scale : constable scale; NITA £4,283 from 1 September 2025; pay point for previous service based on confirmed reckonable service, discussed at offer (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Police Remuneration Review Body: Eleventh Report on Northern Ireland 2025 (PDF) : NITA described as taxable and non-pensionable for all officers; differences from England and Wales in Appendix G; first increment after twelve months (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Justice Minister to the PRRB: Northern Ireland remit letter 2026/27, 24 February 2026 (PDF) : 2026/27 PSNI review started 24 February 2026; broad alignment with England and Wales (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Your Pension : automatic enrolment in the Police Pension Scheme (NI) 2015; legacy rights if Pensions Branch is contacted before joining; transfers in on application (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Police Pensions (Amendment No. 2) Regulations (Northern Ireland) 2024 (SR 2024/219) : member contribution rates 13.66% and 14.00%, 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2027 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Northern Ireland Policing Board: NI Police Pension Calculator FAQs (PDF) : normal pension age 60; 2006 scheme normal pension age 55 (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PSNI: Pension Information (Pensions Branch) : PSNI Pensions Branch contact details (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Why Join? : firearms carried on duty; starting package and up to £54k at Constable level (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PSNI: Constable Recruitment 2026 Guidance for Applicants, Campaign 2610 (PDF) : firearms course and six-monthly refreshers; routine equipment; vetting process; induction; personal security (accessed 23 October 2026)
- Join PSNI: Your Security : personal security advice for applicants (accessed 23 October 2026)
- PSNI: Local Policing (district list) : the 11 policing districts (accessed 23 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
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Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the Police Service of Northern Ireland, Deloitte, SHL, the Northern Ireland Policing Board or the Department of Justice. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice material is original PolicePay work, not PSNI, Deloitte or SHL material: the PSNI says its selection process is a bespoke design delivered by and copyright to Deloitte and that unofficial tutors are not endorsed. The PSNI sets and changes its own process, so check joinpsni.co.uk and your candidate emails before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 23 October 2026.