Police Scotland
References
What Police Scotland asks for about your work history, when it takes up employer references, when it asks for character references and the legal rule on proof of good conduct. Plus how to prepare your referees and your dates, with honest notes on what Police Scotland does not publish.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 22 October 2026 · Scotland unless stated
The application form asks for your current and previous employment for the last 5 years, with dates and contact details for references. If you have no employment history, you are asked for character references. Employer references are then taken at the final stage, alongside the medical, the substance misuse test and full vetting. Anyone who has served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service also needs proof of good conduct under regulation 6 of the 2013 Regulations.
Police Scotland references in short
References are a short part of the Police Scotland process on paper but they can hold up an offer if the details you gave are wrong or your referees do not reply. Here is the whole picture from Police Scotland's published pages:
- On the form: your employment for the last 5 years, with dates and contact details for references.
- No work history: character references instead.
- When taken: employer references are a final-stage check.
- The law: satisfactory character references, plus proof of good conduct if you served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service.
Police Scotland does not publish how many referees it contacts, what it asks them or how it weighs the answers. We say so where it matters and label our own suggestions.
What Police Scotland publishes about references
| Point | What Police Scotland publishes | Source |
|---|---|---|
| When references are taken | Employer references are one of four final-stage checks, with the medical, the substance misuse test and full vetting | Candidate portal, selection process |
| What the form asks | Current and previous employment for the last 5 years, with dates and contact details for references | Candidate portal, application example |
| No employment history | Character references are requested instead | Candidate portal, application example |
| The legal rule | Satisfactory character references, with proof of good conduct for anyone who has served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service | Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013, regulation 6(1)(a) |
| Transferees | Background and reference checks, including Professional Standards and vetting | Transferee page |
| Rejoiners | References are part of the rejoiner process | Rejoiner page |
That is everything Police Scotland's recruitment pages, candidate portal and the regulations say about references. The rest of this page is about getting your part right.
When references are taken
Police Scotland's candidate portal lists four final-stage checks after the assessment day:
- a medical with Police Scotland's healthcare provider;
- a hair-sample substance misuse test;
- employer references;
- full vetting.
So your employers are not contacted at the application stage in the published process. The details you give on the form are used later. That gap in time is why accurate contact details matter: a manager who has since left or an email address that no longer works can slow the final stage down.
Police Scotland says the fitness test must have been completed within 6 months of being given a start date, otherwise you sit another one before any formal offer. Anything that drags out the final stages, references included, makes a retest more likely. Keep training.
The five-year employment history
The main application form asks for your current and previous employment for the last 5 years, with dates and contact details for references. Police Scotland's published form does not give a word limit or a fixed number of entries for this section.
What to have for each job
- employer name and address;
- your job title;
- start and end dates (month and year at least);
- a contact name, role and email or phone number for a reference;
- why you left, if the form asks (have a short, honest answer ready).
Working out your five-year window
Count back five years from the date you submit the form. If you apply on 15 January 2027, your window starts in January 2022. Every month from then to now should be covered by a job, study or an explained gap. This is our practical reading of "the last 5 years", not a definition Police Scotland publishes.
Character references
If you have no employment history, Police Scotland's application form asks for character references instead. This applies most often to school leavers and people who have been full-time carers or students.
Police Scotland does not publish who can act as a character referee. Our suggestions for a strong choice:
- someone who has known you for a reasonable time and in a setting where they have seen how you behave;
- not a family member, because a relative is not independent;
- someone in a role that gives their view weight, such as a teacher, lecturer, coach, youth leader or volunteer organiser;
- someone who will reply promptly and can be reached at the contact details you give.
The law asks for "satisfactory character references" for every candidate, so even if you do have employment history, your references are about character as well as work.
Proof of good conduct: police, military and civil service
Regulation 6(1)(a) of the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 requires every candidate for appointment as a constable to produce satisfactory character references. For anyone who has served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service, it also requires proof of good conduct during that service.
| If you served in | What to have ready (our suggestion) |
|---|---|
| A police force (including as a special constable) | Force name, dates, rank or role, service or warrant number |
| The armed forces | Service, dates, service number and your discharge details |
| The civil service | Department, dates, grade and a contact |
Police Scotland's application form also has a previous service section asking about previous service as a police officer, special constable or in the military. Police Scotland says it is an Armed Forces friendly organisation.
References for your situation
Police Scotland's form gives the rule (5 years of employment, character references if none). It does not explain how to handle unusual cases. Where it does not say, we tell you so and give our suggestion.
| Your situation | What the form asks | Our suggestion |
|---|---|---|
| One employer for 5 years or more | That employer, with dates and contact details | Give a contact in HR or your line manager, whichever your employer uses for references. |
| Several jobs in 5 years | Every job in the period, with dates | List them in order with no overlaps or unexplained gaps. |
| Agency work | Employment for the last 5 years | Police Scotland does not say whether it wants the agency or the client. List the agency as employer and note the clients if space allows. |
| Self-employed | Employment for the last 5 years | Not published. List your business, the dates and a contact who can confirm your work. Ask the recruitment team who counts as a referee. |
| Student | Employment for the last 5 years | List part-time jobs. If you have none, character references are asked for instead. |
| No employment history | Character references | Choose people who know you well, are not family and can be reached. |
| Gaps for travel, caring or illness | Not described on the published form | Note what you were doing and for how long, so the gap does not look unexplained. |
| Former police officer or special constable | Previous service section; proof of good conduct under regulation 6 | Have your force, dates and service number ready. |
| Served in the armed forces | Previous service section; proof of good conduct under regulation 6 | Have your service number and dates ready. |
| Worked in the civil service | Proof of good conduct under regulation 6 | Have your department and dates ready. |
| Dismissed or left on bad terms | Employment for the last 5 years | List it honestly. Police Scotland does not publish how it weighs a poor reference. |
Gaps, overlaps and dates
Police Scotland says it is important to be accurate with all the information you supply, because "it's all confirmed at the vetting stage". Dates are the easiest thing to get wrong and the easiest to check.
- Use payslips, P60s or contracts to confirm start and end dates rather than memory.
- Account for every gap in your five-year window: travel, caring, study, illness or looking for work.
- Avoid overlaps unless you really did hold two jobs at once. If you did, it may also be a business interest to declare (any other employment for gain).
- Match your other documents. Your personal statement and employment history should tell the same story.
Police Scotland asks you to email the recruitment team if you answered a pre-screening question wrongly, so it can be corrected. Do the same for any other error you find: fix it before vetting finds it.
Preparing your referees
Police Scotland does not publish what it asks referees. These steps are our general suggestions to help your references arrive quickly and match what you wrote:
- Ask first. Check each person is willing and will be available over the coming months.
- Confirm the contact details they want used, especially work email addresses that may change.
- Tell them the dates and job title you have put on the form, so their answer matches.
- Tell them roughly when to expect contact: at the final stage, after the assessment day.
- For HR departments, find out whether your employer gives only factual references (dates and role). That is common and not a problem in itself.
- Keep in touch. If a referee changes job, update the recruitment team with new details.
Do not script what a referee says. Police Scotland's AI guidance warns against generating experiences that are not your own. The same principle applies here: references should be honest views of you.
A reference worksheet to fill in
Copy this into a document and complete it before you start the form. It covers what the published form asks plus the details that tend to cause delay.
| Field | Job 1 (most recent) | Job 2 | Job 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| Employer name and address | |||
| Your job title | |||
| Start date (month and year) | |||
| End date (or current) | |||
| Reference contact name and role | |||
| Contact email and phone | |||
| Referee asked and agreed? | |||
| Reason for leaving (short) | |||
| Any gap after this job (and what you did) |
How references relate to vetting
References and vetting are separate final-stage checks on Police Scotland's portal, but they draw on the same information: the history you gave on your form. A reference that gives different dates from your form, or a referee who cannot be reached, is something the recruitment team has to resolve before it can make an offer.
See our Police Scotland vetting guide for what vetting confirms, the published rejection list and why Police Scotland does not publish a timescale.
If you do not want your employer to know yet
Many applicants have not told their current employer they are applying. Police Scotland's published process takes employer references at the final stage, not at the start, which helps. It does not publish whether it asks before contacting a current employer.
If this matters to you, ask the recruitment team when and how your current employer will be contacted. Plan for the conversation with your manager before the final stage, so a reference request does not come as a surprise.
Transferees and rejoiners
- Transferees (serving officers with at least three years' service in a recognised Home Office force in England or Wales, PSNI or BTP, with no outstanding complaints): the process includes background and reference checks, including Professional Standards and vetting.
- Rejoiners (former Police Scotland officers who completed probation): the process includes a CVF application, references, a CVF interview, the fitness test, the medical, the substance misuse test and vetting.
Worksheet rows for common employment patterns
Police Scotland's form asks for your employment over the last 5 years with dates and reference contacts. It does not explain how to list less straightforward patterns. These rows are our suggestions, not Police Scotland's instructions. Where your case is unusual, ask the recruitment team.
| Pattern | Employer to list (our suggestion) | Dates to give | Reference contact (our suggestion) | Evidence to keep |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Agency worker | The agency that paid you | The period you were on the agency's books | Your agency consultant or the agency's office | Payslips from the agency |
| Zero-hours contract | The employer named on the contract | Contract start to end, not individual shifts | Your shift manager or HR | Contract and payslips |
| Self-employed | Your business name, described as self-employed | Trading start to end | Ask the recruitment team: a regular client or accountant are possible options, not confirmed | Tax returns or invoices |
| Student with a part-time job | The part-time employer | Job start to end | Your line manager | Payslips |
| Student with no job | No employer: character references are asked for | Course start to end, noted as study | A lecturer or tutor as a character referee | Enrolment confirmation |
| Two jobs at once | Both employers | Both sets of dates, overlapping | A contact at each | Payslips; also declare it as a business interest |
| Career break or travel | No employer | Gap start to end, with a one-line explanation | None for the gap itself | Anything that shows the dates, such as travel bookings |
| Full-time carer | No employer | Period caring, with a one-line explanation | Character referees if you have no other employment | Not needed, but keep dates consistent |
| Armed forces leaver | Your service, in the previous service section | Enlistment to discharge | As requested; proof of good conduct is required by regulation 6 | Discharge papers and service number |
| Former special constable | Your force, in the previous service section | Appointment to resignation | As requested; proof of good conduct applies to police service | Warrant number and dates |
| Dismissed from a job | That employer, listed honestly | Start to end | HR at that employer | Any letters about the dismissal |
How references link to what you wrote on the form
References confirm parts of your application. These are the sections in Police Scotland's published application example that a referee's answer is most likely to be compared with (our reading of the form):
| Form section | What you wrote | How a reference relates to it |
|---|---|---|
| Employment (last 5 years) | Employers, dates and contact details | The direct source of your employer references; dates should match |
| Personal statement (guide of 800 words) | Your skills, motivation and development journey, drawing on work, volunteering or education | Examples you give from a job should be ones a referee from that job would recognise |
| Previous service | Police, special constable or military service | Proof of good conduct under regulation 6(1)(a) |
| Business interests | Any other employment for gain | A second job should appear here as well as in your employment history |
| Previous applications | Earlier applications and the stage reached | Not a reference matter, but part of the same consistent picture |
| Any other information (up to 200 words) | Anything else to add | A place to explain a gap or an unusual pattern briefly |
Prepare this now
- Write out your last 5 years month by month, counting back from the date you plan to apply.
- Confirm each start and end date from payslips, contracts or P60s.
- Choose a reference contact for each job and ask them first.
- Check each contact's email and phone number is one they will still use months from now.
- Write a one-line explanation for every gap.
- If you have no employment history, choose character referees outside your family.
- Gather service details if you served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service.
- List any second job or side business for the business interests section.
- Make sure your personal statement's work examples match the jobs you list.
Questions to ask the recruitment team
- "Will you contact my current employer? Will you tell me before you do?"
- "Do you contact every employer in my five-year history or only some?"
- "I am self-employed. Who will you accept as a referee?"
- "I worked through an agency. Should I list the agency or the client?"
- "How many character referees do you need and who can act as one?"
- "What proof of good conduct do you need for my previous service?"
Keep a note of each answer, who gave it and the date.
A short brief for your referees (example)
An invented example of a message to a referee. It tells them what to expect without telling them what to say. Adapt it to your own situation.
"Hi Sam, I have applied to become a police officer with Police Scotland and I have given your name as my reference for my time at Riverside Garden Centre. I listed my dates as March 2023 to August 2025 and my job as sales assistant, then supervisor from June 2024."
"Police Scotland takes references near the end of its process, so you may not hear from them for a few months. Is this still the best email for you? Thank you for doing this."
Why it works: it confirms the dates and job title you gave, so their answer matches; it checks the contact details; it sets expectations on timing without guessing a date Police Scotland has not published.
Reference myths and what is published
| Common claim | What Police Scotland publishes |
|---|---|
| Your employer is contacted as soon as you apply | Employer references are a final-stage check, after the assessment day |
| You only need your current employer | The form asks for current and previous employment for the last 5 years |
| No job means you cannot apply | If you have no employment history, character references are asked for instead |
| Former soldiers just need a CV | Regulation 6(1)(a) requires proof of good conduct for armed forces service |
| A poor reference is automatic rejection | References are not on the published rejection list; how they are weighed is not published |
| Referees will be asked set questions | Police Scotland does not publish what referees are asked |
Where references fall in your timeline
| Stage | What you do about references |
|---|---|
| Before you apply | Write out 5 years of employment, confirm dates and ask referees |
| Main application form | Enter employers, dates and reference contacts (or character referees) |
| PSET, fitness test and assessment day | Keep referees informed if things take a while; update any changed contact details |
| Final stages | Employer references are taken, alongside the medical, substance test and vetting |
| Offer | Comes after all final stages |
Common mistakes to avoid
| Mistake | Why it matters | Fix |
|---|---|---|
| Guessing dates | Everything is confirmed at vetting | Check payslips, contracts or P60s |
| Leaving gaps unexplained | A gap prompts questions | Note what you were doing |
| Giving an old manager's email | References are taken months later | Use a current contact or HR |
| Not asking referees first | Unprepared referees reply slowly | Ask and brief them |
| Using a relative as a character referee | Not independent | Choose a teacher, coach or organiser |
| Forgetting a second job | It may be a business interest | List it and declare it |
| Leaving out previous service | Proof of good conduct is required by law | Complete the previous service section |
What we could not verify
Police Scotland's published pages do not state the following. Ask the recruitment team or check your candidate account:
- How many referees Police Scotland contacts and whether it contacts every employer in the five-year window.
- What questions referees are asked and how answers are weighed.
- Whether Police Scotland asks before contacting a current employer.
- Who counts as a character referee and how many are needed.
- How self-employment, agency work and gaps are referenced.
- How long referees are given to reply.
- What form proof of good conduct takes for police, armed forces or civil service.
Frequently Asked Questions
When does Police Scotland take up references?
Employer references are one of the four final-stage checks on Police Scotland's candidate portal, alongside the medical, the hair-sample substance misuse test and full vetting. That is after the PSET, the fitness test and the assessment day.
How many years of employment history does Police Scotland ask for?
Five. The published application form asks for your current and previous employment for the last 5 years, with dates and contact details for references.
What if I have no employment history?
Police Scotland's application form asks for character references if you have no employment history.
Who can be a character referee for Police Scotland?
Police Scotland's published pages do not set rules for who can be a character referee. A sensible choice is someone who knows you well, can describe your character and can be contacted, such as a teacher, coach or volunteer organiser. Ask the recruitment team if you are unsure.
Will Police Scotland contact my current employer?
Employer references are taken at the final stage and the form asks for contact details for your employers over the last 5 years. Police Scotland does not publish whether it asks permission before contacting a current employer, so ask the recruitment team if this worries you.
What is proof of good conduct?
Regulation 6(1)(a) of the Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013 requires satisfactory character references and, for anyone who has served in a police force, the armed forces or the civil service, proof of good conduct during that service.
Can a family member be my referee?
Police Scotland does not publish a rule on this. In general, a referee who is related to you carries less weight because they are not independent. Use someone outside your family where you can.
What if I was self-employed?
Police Scotland's published pages do not explain how self-employment is referenced. List your business and dates in the employment section and ask the recruitment team who it will accept as a referee.
Do gaps in employment matter?
Police Scotland does not publish a rule on gaps. Because vetting confirms what you supplied and references rely on your dates, an unexplained gap is likely to prompt questions. Note what you were doing for any gap.
Do transferees need references?
Yes. Police Scotland's transferee page lists background and reference checks, including Professional Standards and vetting.
What if I worked zero-hours or agency shifts?
Police Scotland's published form asks for employment over the last 5 years with dates and reference contacts but does not explain how agency or zero-hours work should be listed. Our suggestion is to list the agency or employer that paid you, with the dates you were on its books. Ask the recruitment team if you are unsure.
What if my old employer has closed down?
Police Scotland does not publish what happens in that case. List the employer with its dates anyway, note that it has closed and give any contact you still have, such as a former manager. Keep payslips or a P60 as evidence of the dates.
Does Police Scotland check references before the assessment day?
Not in the published process. Employer references are listed as a final-stage check, after the assessment day, alongside the medical, the substance misuse test and full vetting.
Is a bad reference automatic rejection?
Police Scotland does not publish how references are scored or weighed. References are not on its list of offences and circumstances that mean automatic rejection.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 22 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 Scotland candidate portal: Police officer selection process : employer references listed as a final-stage check (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland candidate portal: Police officer application example : employment for the last 5 years with reference contacts; character references if no employment history; previous service section (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Service of Scotland Regulations 2013, regulation 6 (qualifications for appointment) : regulation 6(1)(a): satisfactory character references and proof of good conduct for police, armed forces or civil service (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Our recruitment process (police officer) : accuracy matters because everything is confirmed at the vetting stage; correcting wrong answers (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Transferees : transferee background and reference checks, including Professional Standards and vetting (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: Rejoiners : rejoiner process includes references (accessed 22 October 2026)
- Police Scotland: AI guidance for applicants : answers in your own words; do not generate experiences that are not your own (accessed 22 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for applicants and Scottish officers
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Scotland, the Scottish Police Authority or the College of Policing. It does not recruit, test or assess applicants. Our practice questions are original PolicePay material, not official Police Scotland questions. Police Scotland sets and changes its own selection process, so check its recruitment pages and your candidate account before relying on anything here. Details are as checked on 22 October 2026.