References and history

Police References
Explained

Police forces check at least five years of your history before you can join. This guide covers who they contact, when your current employer finds out and how gaps, self-employment and time abroad are handled. It also shows how to build a five-year history that does not stall your start date.

Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated

Short answer: how do police references work?

Forces verify at least the last five years of your employment or education, with dates, roles and reasons for leaving, using references from employers, schools or colleges. Your current employer is not normally contacted until an offer of appointment is being considered, unless you agree earlier. Gaps over six months need a satisfactory explanation; time abroad needs someone who can confirm what you were doing.

This page covers police constable applications in England and Wales. The national rules come from the Police Regulations 2003 and the College of Policing's pre-employment guidance; each force applies them through its own forms and recruitment team, so the force's instructions come first. Nothing here is a judgement about your own application.

Applying in Scotland? See Police Scotland references.

The rules in brief

Two lines of regulation 10 of the Police Regulations 2003 sit behind every police reference:

Regulation 10(1)(b): a candidate must produce satisfactory references as to character. If you have served in any police force, the armed forces, the civil service or as a seaman, you must also produce satisfactory proof of your good conduct while serving.
Regulation 10(1)(h): a candidate must give such information as may be required about their previous history or employment.

The College of Policing's police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) turns those two lines into working rules for forces. The key ones:

Rule	What the College guidance says
Period covered	At least the previous five years of employment history (or otherwise), with dates, roles and reason for leaving
Who is included	Your current employer, or school or university, as appropriate; references should include the current or previous employer
Current employer timing	Not normally until an offer of appointment is being considered; earlier with your agreement
Health information	Not requested from referees until a conditional or unconditional offer (Equality Act 2010, section 60)
What references confirm	Employment between the dates and in the position stated; regular, punctual attendance; satisfactory performance; no disciplinary proceedings
Previous police service	References always obtained from all previous police service employment
Gaps	Unexplained gaps over six months checked by telephone or letter; settled before assessment
No employer	School, college or university contacted if you have not worked or were in education
No employer references at all	With your permission, references from people in a position to provide the information
Shortfall	If five years cannot be obtained, the force records the risks and mitigations

How many references and how far back

How far back: at least five years. The College guidance says forces should obtain and verify your previous employment history "(or otherwise)" for at least the previous five years. "Or otherwise" matters: if you were studying, caring, unemployed or travelling for part of that time, the force still needs to know and verify what you were doing.

How many: there is no national number. The College guidance asks for references that cover the full five years and include your current or previous employer, so the number follows your history. Force forms differ:

Cumbria Constabulary says it seeks references from your current and previous employer and asks for gaps to be explained and verified. It also asks for an educational reference if you have not been in employment.
A Devon and Cornwall Police form for police support volunteers (a volunteer role, shown here only for its wording) says references are sought for five years, asks for referees "who can speak to your experiences over the past 5 years" and asks for more than one referee "to ensure comprehensive coverage of this period".

That last phrase is the idea behind "referee coverage": every month in your five years should be covered by someone who can confirm it, whether an employer, a college or another suitable person.

Five years of what, exactly?

The College guidance says employment references "must cover the period of at least five years prior to application". Count back five years from the date you submit your application, not from today or from your start date. List everything in that window: full-time and part-time jobs, agency work, self-employment, education, volunteering, unemployment, caring and time abroad.

When references are taken

References are not all taken at the same moment. The College guidance fixes three points in the process:

At the application stage: you list your history and referees on the form (our application form guide covers the rest of the form). The College says queries about employment gaps or employment history "should be satisfied prior to assessment", so gaps can be raised early.
When an offer is being considered: references are not normally taken from your current employer until this point, unless you agree to an earlier request.
After a conditional or unconditional offer: only then should sickness or medical information be requested from referees, in line with section 60 of the Equality Act 2010.

The force pages we read place references among the pre-employment checks after the in-person interview: Cumbria, for example, lists references in its stage 5 pre-employment checks. The wider stage is explained in police pre-employment checks.

References stage by stage

Where references and your history come up at each point of a constable application, based on the College guidance and the vetting rules:

Stage	What happens to your history and referees	What you do
Application form	You list five years of history and referees; gap queries should be settled before assessment	Complete every month; explain gaps; ask referees
Sift, online assessment and force interview	Your current employer is not normally contacted	Keep referee details up to date
Offer being considered or conditional offer	References taken, including your current employer; health information may now be requested from referees	Tell your manager; warn referees; chase any that stall
Vetting	The vetting form asks for five years of addresses and details of time abroad; the vetting unit checks your history against police and other records	Make dates match your application; report changes promptly
Formal offer and start	All references satisfactory and vetting granted within six months of the start date	Give notice only now

The types of reference a force can take

Reference	When it applies	What it confirms	Source
Employment	Every job in the five years, including your current one	Dates, position, attendance, punctuality, performance, disciplinary proceedings	College guidance
Education	If you have not worked, or were in education for part of the period	Your time there; the force also verifies every qualification you claim	College guidance
Character	Every candidate	Satisfactory character	Reg 10(1)(b)
Proof of good conduct	Service in a police force, the armed forces, the civil service or as a seaman	Good conduct while serving	Reg 10(1)(b)
Previous police service	Any previous police employment	Always obtained	College guidance
Professional body	If you belong, or belonged, to one	Any disciplinary proceedings or striking off	College guidance
Other references	Where there are no employer references, with your permission	The information an employer would have given	College guidance

Professional body references apply to anyone who is or was registered with one, for example in nursing, teaching, law or accountancy. The College guidance says those references check whether you have been involved in disciplinary proceedings or struck off. If you have, say so on the form.

References by situation

The same College rules apply to everyone, but they land differently depending on your last five years. Find the row closest to yours:

Your situation	What the rules point to	What to prepare
School or college leaver	Education references cover the period; the College says the school or college is contacted if you have not worked	A tutor or head of year contact; any part-time job referees
Graduate	University for the study years; employers for any work before or alongside	Registry or tutor contact; your qualification certificates
Career changer with one long job	One employment reference may cover all five years; it is your current employer, so normally contacted late	An HR contact; a plan for telling your manager after the offer
Several short jobs	Every job needs covering, with any gaps over six months explained	A dated list; HMRC records to confirm dates
Returning after caring or parenting	Caring for a child or relative is one of the College's examples of a satisfactory explanation for a gap	A short explanation; someone who can confirm it if asked
Made redundant	Redundancy and seeking other work are College examples of satisfactory explanations	The redundancy letter; dates you were job hunting
Self-employed or agency worker	Other references with your permission where employer references are not available	See self-employment
Lived, worked or travelled abroad	The period still needs verifying; residency and checkable history rules apply	See referees for time abroad
Armed forces	Proof of good conduct (reg 10(1)(b)) plus Ministry of Defence conduct history at vetting	Discharge papers; see armed forces
Special constable, PCSO or police staff	References always obtained from previous police service employment	Your force, dates and role; any other employer in the period
Registered professional	Professional body reference on any disciplinary proceedings or striking off	Your registration details

Education references and checking your qualifications

The College guidance is short and firm on this: "All qualifications that the applicant claims to have should be verified by the force." It adds that the school, college or university should be contacted if you have not worked before, or if your employment history is too short because you were in education.

Keep your certificates. Entry routes have qualification rules and forces verify what you claim. If you have lost a certificate, ask the awarding body or school about a replacement early.
Use the right contact. For a school or college, the office or head of sixth form; for a university, the registry or your personal tutor. A named tutor who has since left will not be able to reply.
Qualifications from abroad. Thames Valley Police's FAQ says that if its recruitment team cannot verify an overseas qualification, you may be asked for a statement of comparability from UK ENIC. It says there is a cost.
Courses in progress. List them with expected end dates. The College guidance applies to qualifications you claim, so say clearly what you have and what you are still working towards.

For which qualifications each entry route needs, see police qualifications needed.

Character references: choosing a referee

Regulation 10(1)(b) requires "satisfactory references as to character" but does not say who may give them. The College guidance does not define a character referee either. Forces set this on their own forms. The one example we found is cautious: the Devon and Cornwall police support volunteer form asks for a personal referee "familiar with your activities and experiences from at least the past 5 years" and says the referee cannot be a family member or friend.

Pointers that fit the purpose the College describes, which is to verify what you said and show whether there is any reason you should not be appointed:

choose someone who has seen how you behave over a meaningful period, such as a manager, tutor, volunteer organiser or club coach;
prefer someone outside your family and check the force's form before naming a friend;
make sure they can be contacted and are willing to reply;
do not choose someone because of their job title alone; what they know about you matters more.

If your force's form gives its own rules for character referees, follow those over anything here.

Do the police contact your current employer?

Yes, but normally late in the process. The College guidance says: "References should not normally be taken from current employers until an offer of appointment is being considered. References may be taken earlier with the applicant's agreement."

What that means in practice:

Applying does not alert your employer. Under the College guidance your employer is not normally approached during the application, sift, online assessment or interview.
You will be asked first. If a force wants an earlier reference, the guidance requires your agreement. Some forms ask for consent per referee: the Devon and Cornwall volunteer form asks whether you consent to a reference being requested if you are the preferred applicant.
Tell your manager before the force does. Once you have a conditional offer, a short conversation with your manager or HR is usually better than a surprise request.
Do not resign on the strength of the reference request. A reference request comes before the final offer. Wait for the final offer before giving notice.

If your employer does not know you are applying

You do not have to tell them during the early stages. When the force says it is ready to take references, ask when it will contact your current employer so you can speak to them first. If you have a reason to worry about how your employer will react, tell the recruitment team; they can only take an earlier reference with your agreement under the College guidance.

Leaving one career for policing has its own questions, from notice periods to pay; see career change into the police.

Gaps in your employment or education

A gap is not a problem in itself. An unexplained gap is. The College guidance says:

any unexplained or unsatisfactory gaps of over six months should be checked by telephone or letter for a satisfactory explanation;
its examples of satisfactory explanations are redundancy from your last job, seeking other work, or caring for a child or relative;
if a satisfactory reason is given, the application form is noted and the application may proceed;
if there are several unexplained gaps, you should be asked for an explanation and the reasons recorded;
queries about gaps or employment history should be satisfied prior to assessment.

How to handle a gap on the form:

List it as its own entry with start and end month, as if it were a job.
Say what you were doing in plain words: "Caring for my mother full time", "Looking for work after redundancy", "Travelling in Spain and Portugal".
Name someone who can confirm it where you can, or say what evidence you hold, such as a redundancy letter or a carer's assessment.
Keep it consistent with your address history and the dates on your vetting form.

Short gaps between jobs are worth listing too. The six-month figure is when the College expects a gap to be checked; listing shorter ones avoids a force finding an unexplained month on its own.

Self-employment, agency work and casual jobs

The College guidance does not name self-employment or agency work, but two of its rules cover them: forces verify your history "(or otherwise)" for five years; "in the absence of employers' references", forces may, with your permission, seek references from people in a position to give that information.

Situation	Who could confirm it (ask your force what it accepts)
Self-employed or sole trader	A long-standing client, your accountant, a business partner; keep your tax records to hand
Agency worker	The agency that employed or placed you, naming the clients and dates
Zero-hours, gig or platform work	The company you worked through; screenshots or statements of your work history
Several part-time jobs at once	Each employer, with overlapping dates shown clearly
Volunteering	The volunteer organiser or charity manager
Company has closed	A former manager or colleague; payslips or P60s for the dates

If you have lost track of dates, HMRC's personal tax account on GOV.UK lets you check your income from work in the previous five years, which shows employers and tax years.

Keeping a business after you join

Regulation 9A of the Police Regulations 2003 says you are not eligible for appointment if you, or a relative included in your family, have a business interest that will be kept after appointment, unless the chief officer approves it. A business interest includes holding any office or employment for hire or gain or carrying on any business. If you want to keep self-employed work, a second job or a family business link, declare it early and ask how the force's approval process works.

What is referee coverage for time spent abroad?

Short answer: it means having one or more referees who can confirm what you were doing during any period you spent living, working, studying or travelling outside the UK, so that part of your five-year history can be verified like the rest. A force asking whether you have referee coverage for time abroad wants to know who can vouch for those months: an overseas employer, a college, a volunteer organiser or another person in a position to confirm your account.

We could not find this exact phrase in a published national document, so here is what the rules behind it say:

Five years, wherever you were. The College guidance says forces verify your history "(or otherwise)" for at least five years. Time abroad sits inside that window like any other period.
Checkable history. The College's Vetting APP says residency rules exist because meaningful vetting enquiries are not possible in many jurisdictions outside the UK. Where someone has not met the UK residency period, comparable enquiries abroad have to cover credit checks, address history, employment references and family and associates where necessary.
A full account, verified by references. Kent Police's residency procedure says that where a UK citizen has lived outside the UK for no more than 12 months, the vetting criteria may be met if the applicant gives a full account of the time abroad, including countries visited and any employment or voluntary work. It adds that it will be necessary to verify the account "with requests for references". That is referee coverage in practice.
Certificates of good conduct. Some forces also want an overseas police certificate. Thames Valley Police's FAQ says that if you spent more than three months outside the UK in the last three years, with 28 days or more in one country, you must get a Certificate of Good Conduct from each such country.

Who can give a reference for time abroad:

an employer abroad, including seasonal or casual work;
a university or college, for study abroad or an exchange year;
a volunteer organisation or project you worked with;
a host family or language school, for au pair or study placements;
for travel with no work, someone in a position to confirm your account, such as a UK employer you returned to or a person you travelled with (ask the force whether it accepts them).

The residency rule sits alongside this

Referee coverage does not replace the UK residency rule. The College guidance says candidates should have three years' minimum continual UK residency immediately before applying, with exceptions for government or armed forces service and for around 12 months overseas as an extended holiday such as a gap year. It also says that if you have lived abroad for more than three months in the last three years, a force is unlikely to be able to obtain enough information to grant vetting clearance. If you are close to those lines, contact the force before you apply. See overseas travel and residency vetting and nationality and residency requirements.

UK address history: what forces ask for

Address history is a vetting question rather than a reference, but candidates often meet it on the same form and search for it in the same breath. If a form asks about your "UK address history", it is asking where you have lived, with dates and no gaps, so the force can show you have a checkable history in the UK.

Five years of addresses. The model vetting form in the College's Vetting APP asks for all addresses, including temporary or secondary ones, that you have lived at in the past five years. Its guidance lists university residences, weekday or weekend addresses, holiday homes and anywhere you regularly stay away from home, in the UK or abroad. It says "Please ensure there are no gaps in your address history."
Three years of UK residency. The same form asks whether you have continually lived in the UK for the immediate last three years. The Vetting APP says this period runs immediately before the application, not any other three years.
Long periods abroad. The model form also asks whether, since the age of 10, you have spent more than 12 months continuously living outside the UK, with dates, countries and reasons.
Partners too. The model form asks for your partner's addresses over the past five years.

The national recruitment site lists not providing a full address history as one of the most common vetting errors. It advises giving a rationale where you cannot remember or provide specific details. Our guide to address history and vetting delays explains how to rebuild a history you have lost track of.

Armed forces references and proof of good conduct

Regulation 10(1)(b) requires anyone who served in the armed forces to produce satisfactory proof of good conduct while serving. The College guidance explains how forces handle it:

discharge certificates or equivalent, such as a letter from a commanding officer for serving personnel, will normally be satisfactory proof of good conduct;
where there is concern or confusion about why the highest level of discharge assessment was not given, the force will make further enquiries and can, with your agreement, contact the service for a copy of your record;
the vetting department also requests Ministry of Defence conduct history;
drug or alcohol problems are not reflected in the assessment unless they had an adverse effect on performance;
spent convictions are taken into account, but minor punishments, awards and dispensations incurred more than five years before the assessment are disregarded;
resettlement periods can be as long as 18 months; forces may want to consider this before accepting applications from service personnel with more than 12 months before discharge.

Offences convicted by a military tribunal are recorded on the Police National Computer, so declare them. More in joining the police from the armed forces.

Worked example: build your five-year history

Illustrative example, fictional candidate

Jordan submits a constable application on 1 November 2026, so the five-year window runs from November 2021 to November 2026. This is how Jordan lays it out. The names and dates are invented to show the method; your force's form decides the exact format.

Dates	Activity	Referee or evidence	Note
Nov 2021 to Jun 2024	University degree, living in halls then a shared house	University registry or personal tutor	Education reference; both addresses go on the address history
Nov 2021 to Jun 2024	Weekend bar job alongside study	Bar manager	Overlapping dates shown clearly
Jul 2024 to Sep 2024	Ten weeks travelling in two countries, five of them volunteering at a hostel	Hostel volunteer coordinator; travel bookings	Referee coverage for time abroad; under three months, but ask the force about certificates
Oct 2024 to Dec 2024	Looking for work, living with parents	Jobcentre letters; job applications	A short gap, listed with a reason anyway
Jan 2025 to Apr 2025	Agency warehouse work	The agency, naming the client site	Agency is the employer for the reference
May 2025 to now	Retail supervisor (current job)	Store manager or HR	Not normally contacted until an offer is being considered
Mar 2025 to now	Self-employed weekend tutoring	A long-standing client; tax records	Declare as a business interest if Jordan wants to keep it (reg 9A)

What Jordan does next:

Checks every month from November 2021 has at least one line. No month is blank.
Cross-checks the dates against the address history, so the travel months and the move home match.
Finds current contact details for each referee, using an HR inbox where there is one.
Messages each referee to say a request may come and roughly when.
Keeps the travel bookings and the hostel coordinator's details in case the force asks for more.
Uses HMRC's personal tax account to confirm the agency and retail start dates.

The same method works for any history. The free checklist above does this month-by-month check for you.

How to ask someone to be your referee

Forces contact referees directly, usually by email or a form. A referee who knows the request is coming and roughly what it asks is better placed to reply quickly and accurately. A short message is enough.

Example message you can adapt

Hi Alex, I have applied to join [force] as a police constable. They ask for references covering my last five years. Would you be happy to confirm my time at [organisation] from [month, year] to [month, year] as [role]? The force contacts referees itself, normally later in the process. It asks about dates, attendance, performance and any disciplinary matters. I will let you know when to expect it. Thank you.

Ask before you list them. It is basic courtesy and it lets you check their contact details are current.
Give them your exact dates and job title. References confirm employment "between the specified dates and in the position stated", so make sure you and your referee agree on them.
Prefer an organisation contact for employment. Many employers route references through HR; a personal mobile for a former manager is a useful backup, not a replacement.
Tell them when it is close. When the force says it is taking references, send a quick reminder.
Do not coach. Ask them to be accurate. A reference that matches your form is the goal.

What if a referee does not reply, or cannot be found?

A missing reference is an avoidable delay. Until the force has a reply or accepts an alternative, that part of your file stays open. What helps:

Warn referees in advance. A referee who expects the request answers it sooner.
Use an address that will be read. An HR or references inbox is often better than a named person who may have left.
Chase politely. If the force tells you a reference is outstanding, contact the referee yourself.
Offer an alternative. Another manager from the same employer, or evidence such as payslips or a P60 for the dates.
Tell the force early about a closed company. The College guidance lets forces seek other references with your permission where employer references are not available.

If a force still cannot obtain five years of references, the College guidance says it should record the risks and mitigations. That is a decision for the force, which is why giving it every alternative you can is worth the effort.

Mistakes that slow references down

Counting from the wrong date. The five years run back from your application, not from your start date.
Leaving months blank. A gap with no entry looks unexplained even if the reason is ordinary.
Dates that do not match. Your form, your referee and your vetting form should agree on start and end months.
Old contact details. A manager who has left or an inbox nobody reads stalls the request.
Forgetting second jobs and volunteering. List them, especially anything you want to keep after joining, which may need approval under regulation 9A.
Leaving out time abroad. It belongs in both your history and your address history.
Missing emails. The national recruitment site advises checking junk and spam folders for messages from the force.

For explaining a gap, short plain wording works best. Fictional examples of the kind of explanation the College guidance has in mind:

Gap	Example wording (illustrative)
Redundancy	"Made redundant from [employer] in March 2024. Applied for warehouse and retail roles until starting at [employer] in October 2024."
Caring	"Full-time carer for my father after his stroke, living at his address, from June 2023 to February 2024."
Travel	"Travelling in Spain and Portugal, July to September 2024; volunteered at [hostel] for five weeks. Referee: [name], volunteer coordinator."
Health	"Not working for health reasons from January to May 2025; recovered and returned to work." (Detail can wait until the medical stage.)

Bad references, dismissals and disciplinary records

Regulation 10(1)(b) requires satisfactory references. The College guidance says the purpose of references is "to verify statements made by candidates and to obtain an indication of whether there is any reason why an applicant should not be employed as a police officer".

That gives two practical rules:

Make your form match what a referee will say. The College says forces verify your reason for leaving each job. If a job ended in dismissal, a final warning or a resignation during a disciplinary process, say so and explain it briefly. A mismatch between your form and a reference raises questions about honesty, which policing treats seriously.
Context helps. A single poor reference from years ago, explained honestly and balanced by good references since, reads differently from an unexplained one. Whether it is satisfactory is the force's decision.

If you are unsure how a past dismissal or disciplinary matter might read, the free vetting evidence builder gives an overview against the published guidance. See also common vetting mistakes.

How references relate to vetting

References and vetting overlap but are separate checks:

	References	Recruitment Vetting
Who runs it	The recruiting authority, normally HR (Vetting APP 3.3.3)	The force vetting unit
Legal basis	Reg 10(1)(b), (h)	Reg 10(1)(hb); Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025
What it covers	Your history, conduct and attendance	You, family, co-residents and associates; police systems, credit and open source checks
Separate vetting references?	Not expected for recruits; the Vetting APP says separate references for vetting are only expected for management vetting of serving personnel

The two meet in your dates. Your employment history, address history and time abroad should tell the same story on the application form, the reference requests and the vetting form.

Free quick check: 3 taps

How risky is my history for police vetting?

No typing, nothing saved. See what vetting looks at and what to prepare, from the College of Policing guidance.

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Pick the main one. You can add more in the free builder.

More on vetting itself: police vetting for applicants and how long vetting takes.

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Myths about police references

"The police will ring my boss as soon as I apply." The College guidance says current employer references are not normally taken until an offer of appointment is being considered, unless you agree earlier.
"Police references go back ten years." The College guidance sets at least five years for employment references. Other parts of the process can look further back: the model vetting form asks about long periods abroad since age 10. Automatic disqualification for certain convictions has no time limit.
"You need exactly two references." There is no national number. You need enough references to cover five years, including your current or previous employer.
"Referees will be asked about my sick days straight away." Sickness or medical information is not requested from referees until a conditional or unconditional offer is made.
"A gap will fail my application." The College gives redundancy, seeking work and caring as examples of satisfactory explanations. Unexplained gaps are the problem.
"Time abroad does not count if it was a holiday." It still sits in your five-year history. The College treats around 12 months overseas as an extended holiday that keeps UK residency, but forces may still want an account and references for it.
"No employer means no reference." Education references and, with your permission, references from others in a position to give the information are both covered by the College guidance.

What to ask and who to contact

Questions to put to the force's recruitment team:

How many referees do you want, for what period? Do you count back from my application date?
When will you contact my current employer? Will you tell me first?
Who can be a character referee? Do you accept friends?
I was self-employed or worked through an agency: what evidence or referees do you accept?
I spent time abroad: who can give a reference for it? Do I need a certificate of good conduct?
One of my former employers has closed: what should I give you instead?
Which reference, if any, is holding up my file?

Who to contact:

The force recruitment or HR team for references, gaps and timing.
The force vetting unit for residency, time abroad and address history questions.
Your referees, before the force contacts them.
Your service leaver or resettlement contact for discharge papers, if you served in the armed forces.

What we could not verify

The exact source of the phrase "referee coverage for time spent abroad". We could not find it in a published national form or College document. Our answer applies the College guidance, the Vetting APP and Kent Police's residency procedure; your force's form wording takes priority.
A national number of referees. None is set; forces decide.
Who counts as a character referee. Regulation 10(1)(b) does not say. The friends and family rule quoted here is from one force's volunteer form.
What forces accept for self-employment and agency work. The College guidance allows other references with your permission but does not list them; the table above shows options to ask about, not a national list.
Certificates of good conduct. The three-month and 28-day rule is from one force's FAQ dated September 2024; other forces set their own rules.
How long a force waits for a referee. We found no published deadline.
Whether you can see the references given about you. We did not verify the data protection position for recruitment references, so ask the force.

This page is general information, not advice about your application. Your force's forms and instructions and the regulation text on legislation.gov.uk take priority.

The free evidence builder gives an overview of how gaps, time abroad and other circumstances read against the published vetting guidance. The optional Vetting Prep Report (£19.99) adds a document checklist, likely questions and a draft disclosure paragraph. Neither predicts a force's decision.

Quick answers

Frequently Asked Questions

How many references do you need for a police application?

There is no fixed national number. The College of Policing guidance says employment references must cover at least the five years before you apply and should include your current or previous employer, so the number depends on how many jobs or courses you had in that time. One person with one employer for five years may need one employment reference; someone with several jobs will need more.

How far back do police references go?

At least five years. The College of Policing pre-employment guidance says forces should obtain and verify your employment history, or otherwise, for at least the previous five years, including dates, roles and reason for leaving. That covers your current employer, school or university. If a force cannot obtain five years of references, it should record the risks and mitigations.

Do the police contact your current employer?

Yes, but normally not until an offer is being considered. The College of Policing guidance says references should not normally be taken from current employers until an offer of appointment is being considered. They may be taken earlier only with your agreement. Medical or sickness information should not be requested from referees until a conditional or unconditional offer is made.

What is referee coverage for time spent abroad?

It means having someone who can confirm what you were doing while you were outside the UK, such as an overseas employer, college or volunteer organiser, so that period of your history can be verified like the rest. Kent Police's residency procedure says time abroad of up to 12 months can meet the criteria if you give a full account, including countries and any work, verified by references.

What does UK address history mean on a police application?

It means every address you have lived at, with dates and no gaps. The model vetting form in the College's Vetting APP asks for all addresses in the past five years, including student accommodation, weekday or weekend addresses, holiday homes and anywhere you regularly stay, in the UK or abroad. Separately, you normally need three years' UK residency immediately before applying.

Do police references check sickness and attendance?

Attendance yes, sickness only after an offer. The College guidance says employment references confirm your dates and position and ask whether you attend work regularly and punctually, perform satisfactorily and are not subject to disciplinary proceedings. In line with section 60 of the Equality Act 2010, sickness or medical information should not be requested until a conditional or unconditional offer is made.

What if I have gaps in my employment history?

Explain them. The College guidance says unexplained or unsatisfactory gaps of over six months should be checked by telephone or letter for a satisfactory explanation, such as redundancy, looking for work or caring for a child or relative. If the reason is satisfactory, the form is noted and the application may proceed. Gap queries should be settled before assessment.

Can a friend or family member be a police character reference?

We found no national rule on who can be a character referee. Regulation 10(1)(b) only requires satisfactory references as to character. Some force forms rule out friends and family: Devon and Cornwall's police support volunteer form says its personal referee cannot be a family member or friend. Check your force's form. Choose someone who knows your conduct, such as a manager, tutor or volunteer organiser.

What if I am self-employed and have no employer reference?

The College guidance says that where there are no employer references, forces may, with your permission, seek references from people in a position to give that information. For self-employment that could be a long-standing client or an accountant. Ask the force what it accepts. If you plan to keep the business after joining, regulation 9A means the chief officer must approve it.

What happens if a referee does not reply?

The check stays open until the force gets a reply or accepts an alternative, which can hold up your start date. Tell your referees to expect the request and give accurate contact details such as an HR address. If one goes quiet, offer another referee or other evidence. The College guidance says that if a force cannot get five years of references it should record the risks and mitigations.

What references do armed forces leavers need for the police?

Regulation 10(1)(b) requires proof of good conduct for anyone who served in the armed forces. The College guidance says a discharge certificate or equivalent, such as a commanding officer's letter, is normally satisfactory, but the force may make further enquiries with your agreement. The vetting unit also requests Ministry of Defence conduct history.

Do the police check my qualifications?

Yes. The College of Policing guidance says all qualifications you claim should be verified by the force. Your school, college or university should be contacted if you have not worked or were in education for part of the period. If your qualification is from outside the UK, a force may ask for a statement of comparability from UK ENIC; Thames Valley says there is a cost for this.

Do I need a reference if I worked for the police before?

Yes. The College guidance says references will always be obtained from all previous police service employment. If you served as a police officer, regulation 10(1)(b) also requires satisfactory proof of your good conduct while serving. Former special constables, PCSOs and police staff should list that service with dates like any other role and expect the force to contact it.

Can a bad reference stop you joining the police?

It can. Regulation 10(1)(b) requires satisfactory references. The College says references are there to verify what you said and to show whether there is any reason you should not be employed. The bigger risk is a mismatch: if a reference reveals a dismissal or disciplinary matter you did not mention, it raises honesty questions. Declare it on the form and explain it.

Evidence

Sources and how we checked them

Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 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.

Police Regulations 2003 (SI 2003/527), regulation 10, latest revised text : satisfactory references as to character and proof of good conduct for police, armed forces, civil service or seaman service (10(1)(b)); information about previous history or employment (10(1)(h)) (accessed 21 October 2026)
Police Regulations 2003, regulation 9A: business interest precluding appointment : self-employment or a second job kept after appointment needs chief officer approval (accessed 21 October 2026)
College of Policing: Police constable pre-employment guidance (April 2024) : five years of employment references, current employer timing, sickness information after an offer, what references confirm, previous police service, gaps over six months, armed forces, education and other references, professional bodies, residency abroad (accessed 21 October 2026)
College of Policing: Vetting authorised professional practice (May 2025) : HR checks employment references (3.3.3); residency and checkable history including overseas employment references and address verification (5.3.2, 5.3.3); model vetting form: five-year address history with no gaps, time abroad since age 10 (Appendix I) (accessed 21 October 2026)
Equality Act 2010, section 60 : health questions not asked before an offer of work, with limited exceptions (accessed 21 October 2026)
Kent Police: Residency criteria procedure (P04k, reviewed October 2023) : one force's procedure: up to 12 months abroad can meet the criteria with a full account of countries and work, verified by requests for references (accessed 21 October 2026)
Thames Valley Police: Police officer recruitment FAQ (dated September 2024) : one force's rule: Certificates of Good Conduct for more than three months abroad in the last three years with 28 days or more in one country (accessed 21 October 2026)
Cumbria Constabulary: PC recruitment process : one force's example: references from current and previous employers, gaps explained and verified, an educational reference if you have not been employed (accessed 21 October 2026)
Devon and Cornwall Police: Police support volunteer application form : an example of referee wording on a police form (a volunteer role, not constable): five years, more than one referee for coverage, personal referee not a family member or friend, consent before references are requested (accessed 21 October 2026)
Joining the Police: What's involved in vetting? : an incomplete address history is a common error; include a rationale where you cannot give details; vetting close to the join date (accessed 21 October 2026)
Joining the Police: Am I eligible to apply? (eligibility checker) : three years living in the UK, armed forces and HM Government exceptions, gap year waiver by the force vetting manager (accessed 21 October 2026)
GOV.UK: Personal tax account : check your income from work in the previous five years, useful for rebuilding employment dates (accessed 21 October 2026)

Related Guides

On this topic elsewhere

Pre-employment checks → Everything after the conditional offer, in order. Application form guide → Getting your history right on the form itself. Overseas travel and residency → The three-year rule, gap years and certificates of good conduct. Address history delays → Why a missing address holds up vetting. Fingerprints, DNA and drug test → The other checks after an offer. Joining from the armed forces → Resettlement timing and proof of good conduct. Career change into the police → Leaving another job to join, without burning bridges. Vetting for applicants → How references sit alongside the vetting checks.

Joining the police

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Start here Candidates hub Everything for police applicants: eligibility, the application, the assessment centre, interviews, fitness and vetting. Start here Entry requirements Every legal and national requirement to become a constable, including the two 2026 rule changes. Eligibility Police age limit Apply at 17, appointed at 18, no upper limit in the regulations; what 57 and 60 really mean. Eligibility Qualifications needed Level 3 or accepted experience for PCDA and PCEP, a degree for DHEP and the GCSE rules. Eligibility Nationality and residency UK, EEA or indefinite leave; settled status; the three-year residency rule and its exceptions. Eligibility Tattoos and appearance The national tattoo test, force policies and what to do if unsure. Eligibility Medical conditions Asthma, diabetes, epilepsy, hearing and BMI: the Home Office standards and how the medical works. Eligibility Mental health and neurodiversity What the standards say, the Equality Act and reasonable adjustments in the assessments. Application Application form guide The national application form, history and declarations and applying to several forces. Application Rejected and reapplying Stage by stage: appeals, resit limits and when you can apply again. Decision Officer vs PCSO vs special Powers, pay, hours, entry and progression compared, to help you choose. Online assessment After the OAC How results arrive, what the feedback report shows and the force interview and checks that follow a pass. Online assessment Tech and adjustments Devices, browsers, the no-second-device rule, what to do if tech fails and the OAC extra time table. Framework CVF explained The three values, six competencies, levels 1 to 3, what changed from 2016 and which exercise assesses what. Online assessment OAC prep plan How long to prepare for the online assessment centre, with day-by-day plans built on the current College format. Routes Entry routes compared PCDA, PCEP, DHEP, degree holder, detective, rejoiner, specials, PCSOs and cadets side by side. Routes PCDA explained Entry requirements, pay from day one, the three years, English and maths and who is recruiting. Routes DHEP explained Who qualifies, the two-year graduate diploma, detective DHEP, Police Now and pay. Routes Rejoining the police Regulation 10B, no five-year limit, 6 or 12 months' probation, exams and pension questions. Vetting Vetting levels What each police vetting level is for, what it checks and how long it lasts. Vetting Vetting appeals Your right to written reasons, the three grounds and how to write an appeal. Vetting Criminal records The 2026 automatic disqualification rules and how other offences are judged. Vetting Other roles Where staff, special and volunteer vetting differs from officer vetting. Vetting Mental health and vetting Why vetting is not a medical and what goes to occupational health. Guide Failed vetting: family Why relatives or associates lead to refusal, what you are told, appeals and reapplying. Guide Driving licence When forces need a licence, provisional, automatic and foreign licences and how points are vetted. Guide Police medical What the medical checks, when it happens, BMI and height, GP records, drug tests and failing. Guide Briefing exercise practice Three original 12-question briefing scenarios with worked answer outlines. Guide Written exercise practice Four original written tasks with four items each and planning outlines. Guide CVF: courage What the courage value means, how to choose your own example and an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: respect and empathy Why fair is not identical, where it is assessed, with an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: public service The 2024 meaning of public service, where it is assessed and an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: we take ownership Level 1 behaviours, level 1 versus 2 and how to own a mistake in a STAR answer. Guide CVF: innovative and open-minded Level 1 means learning, suggesting, reflecting and adapting, with an illustrative STAR structure. Guide CVF: other four competencies Where emotionally aware, collaborate, support and inspire and analyse critically are assessed. Guide Final interview by force The law now requires a force interview after the OAC; what all 43 forces' own pages say about it, with links. Interview Tell me about a time questions 36 past-behaviour questions by 2024 CVF value, each one linked into the free mock interview. Interview Scenario questions Where hypothetical questions come up, a simple order for answering and 18 practice scenarios. Interview Follow-up questions The seven kinds of probing question in a live force interview and how to answer them. Interview Interview prep plans Day-by-day plans for the OAC interview and the in-person force interview. Interview Examples with no experience Where real examples hide in school, sport, caring and volunteering, with three example answers. Free download Interview questions PDF 30 practice questions by value, a STAR planner and timings to print or save as a PDF. Entry routes Assessment by route PCDA, DHEP, PCEP, detective, transferee, rejoiner, specials and PCSO: what the law makes identical and what can differ. Decision How hard is it to join? No national pass rate is published: what each stage tests and how to prepare free. Application More than one force One force at a time for the assessments, twice in 12 months and transferring a pass. Eligibility Joining on a visa Each visa type checked against the legal nationality rule, plus pre-settled status. Eligibility From the armed forces Eligibility, applying while serving, resettlement timing, references, pay and pension. Decision Career change The pay drop, the recruitment wait, the right route and the pension for later joiners. Pay Starting salary 2026 Point 1 and point 2 from 1 September 2026, take-home and London and South East pay. Force Met requirements Who can apply to the Met: age, residence, qualifications by route, tattoos and pay. Offer stage Pre-employment checks References, medical, fitness, biometrics, drug test and vetting after an offer. Offer stage Biometrics and drug test Fingerprints and DNA for recruits, what they are checked against and drug testing. Routes DCEP explained The detective entry route force by force, the NIE, PIP2 and pay.

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Disclaimer

PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force and it does not recruit, vet or assess applicants. Recruitment standards, assessment formats and vetting decisions are set by the College of Policing and each force and change from time to time: check the force you are applying to before relying on anything here. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 21 October 2026.

Police References Explained

The rules in brief

How many references and how far back

When references are taken

References stage by stage

Check your referee coverage now (free)

Police pre-employment checklist

References and five-year history0/9

History gap finder: the last five years

Identity and right to work0/3

Qualifications0/2

Vetting form0/8

Medical and eyesight0/4

Fitness test0/2

Fingerprints, DNA and drug test0/5

What is still to do

Not sure how something in your history will read?

Know when the checks or vetting rules change

The types of reference a force can take

References by situation

Education references and checking your qualifications

Character references: choosing a referee

Do the police contact your current employer?

Gaps in your employment or education

Self-employment, agency work and casual jobs

What is referee coverage for time spent abroad?

UK address history: what forces ask for

Armed forces references and proof of good conduct

Worked example: build your five-year history

How to ask someone to be your referee

What if a referee does not reply, or cannot be found?

Mistakes that slow references down

Bad references, dismissals and disciplinary records

How references relate to vetting

How risky is my history for police vetting?

What is in your history?

Get told when forces open applications

Myths about police references

What to ask and who to contact

What we could not verify

Frequently Asked Questions

How many references do you need for a police application?

How far back do police references go?

Do the police contact your current employer?

What is referee coverage for time spent abroad?

What does UK address history mean on a police application?

Do police references check sickness and attendance?

What if I have gaps in my employment history?

Can a friend or family member be a police character reference?

What if I am self-employed and have no employer reference?

What happens if a referee does not reply?

What references do armed forces leavers need for the police?

Do the police check my qualifications?

Do I need a reference if I worked for the police before?

Can a bad reference stop you joining the police?

Sources and how we checked them

On this topic elsewhere

More in this guide series

Free tools for applicants

Disclaimer

Police References
Explained