Second Jobs & Business
Interests in the Police (UK)
Can police officers have second jobs?
Yes — but only within strict rules
under Police Regulations 2003 and force business interest policies.
England and Wales. Updated 30 September 2026.
Trust Notice: Independent explanatory guidance based on Police Regulations 2003 (as amended). Not legal advice. Not affiliated with any police force or staff association.
Executive Summary
What Are the Rules on Police Second Jobs?
- Officers must give immediate written notice of any undisclosed business interest (reg 8(1))
- An appropriate officer in Professional Standards decides within 28 days; you can appeal to the chief officer within 10 days (regs 8 and 9)
- Officers must avoid activity likely to interfere, or appear to interfere, with impartial duty (Sch 1)
- A relative's interest in licensed premises in your force area can also need notifying
- Ignoring a final refusal is treated as a gross misconduct case to answer (reg 7(1))
Second income is permitted. Undeclared conflict is not.
What Counts as a Business Interest?
Under regulation 7(2) of the Police Regulations 2003, you have a business interest if you hold any office or employment for hire or gain outside the force or carry on any business, or if you or a relative hold a financial interest in a licence for alcohol, refreshment houses, betting and gaming or places of entertainment in your force area. The College of Policing's vetting form guidance (Vetting APP, May 2025) says to declare:
Not all hobbies are business interests. But income-generating activity almost always is. Forces must have a local business interests and additional employment policy (Vetting APP 6.5.16), with their own forms.
What Must Be Declared?
The vetting form guidance asks for any business in which you have a vested interest or through which you have a separate source of income "of any form", including self-employed work. Your force policy may set out exceptions.
- Any paid employment outside policing
- Any company directorship or partnership
- Any business operated in your name
- Any role that could conflict with policing duties
- A relative's business interest that could be seen as affecting your impartiality (reg 8(1)(b))
How Decisions Are Made
What the regulations require
- Immediate written notice to the chief officer (reg 8(1))
- Decision by an appropriate officer in Professional Standards (reg 8(2))
- Written reasons and a chance to make representations before a refusal or conditions (reg 8(4))
- Written decision within 28 days of your notice (reg 8(5))
- Appeal to the chief officer within 10 days (reg 9(1))
- Appeal outcome with reasons within 28 days, extendable (reg 9(4)-(5))
Grounds for refusal or conditions
- Conduct would fail to meet the Standards of Professional Behaviour (reg 8(3))
- Likely to interfere with impartial discharge of duties (Sch 1, para 1)
- Likely to give the public that impression (Sch 1, para 1)
- Active part in politics (Sch 1, para 1(2))
- Conflict with the work of the police service (vetting form guidance)
- Effect on performance, welfare or Working Time Regulations compliance (vetting form guidance)
There is no published national list of approved or refused jobs. Each decision turns on the facts and your force's policy. You can have a police friend throughout, using reasonable duty time (reg 7(4)-(5)).
The Conflict of Interest Test
operational compromised
Does it compromise your ability to respond to duty?
impartiality
Does it risk your neutrality in decision-making?
public confidence
Could it damage the reputation of the service?
perception test
How would a member of the public view the arrangement?
fitness for duty
Does it affect your rest or operational readiness?
These questions mirror the aspects listed in the College of Policing's vetting form guidance. The legal test is whether, as a result of the interest, your conduct would fail to meet the Standards of Professional Behaviour (regulation 8(3)).
Working Time & Fatigue
Fitness for duty is one of the Standards of Professional Behaviour. Long combined hours across two jobs can affect your rest and performance, which a decision maker can take into account.
The Cost of Non-Declaration
Not giving notice is itself a breach of regulation 8(1), and concealing an interest can raise questions of honesty and integrity, whatever the job. The regulations also set a specific consequence for carrying on after a final refusal.
Misconduct Risks
- Ignoring a final refusal: treated as a gross misconduct case to answer (reg 7(1))
- Breach of Honesty & Integrity
- Barred list only if dismissed
Can Approval Be Withdrawn?
Yes. Approval is not a permanent entitlement.
An approval can require you to report changes, and any change is then treated as a new interest needing a fresh decision (regulation 8(6)-(7)). Review and withdrawal are set by force policy; the Metropolitan Police's procedure, for example, requires an annual review. Matters a force may look at include:
- Operational changes create new conflicts.
- Performance or attendance concerns arise.
- The officer is subject to misconduct proceedings.
- New reputational risks are identified.
Student Officer Context
Student officers follow the same notification and decision rules. They are also on probation, and a chief officer can dispense with a probationer's services under regulation 13, so a business interest that affects training or attendance could become relevant there.
Tax & Income Notes
Self Assessment
You are personally responsible for declaring second income to HMRC. You must send a Self Assessment return if you were self-employed and earned more than £1,000, or were a partner in a business, and may need to for untaxed income such as rent. A second PAYE job is usually taxed at source (GOV.UK, Self Assessment tax returns).
Overtime Interaction
Second-job income and police overtime are both added to your taxable income, so both are taxed at your marginal rate. Compare the after-tax hourly rate of each.
The Financial Reflection
The decision to pursue a second job is often driven by real-terms pay pressures. However, officers should reflect on the non-financial costs and risks before applying.
The Rewards
Supplemental income to combat inflation, skill diversification, and a "hedge" for career transition planning.
The Risks
Fatigue, increased misconduct exposure, vetting complications, and potential impact on police pension value if service is reduced.
Frequently Asked Questions
Concise, regulation-based answers for officers considering side income.
• Can police officers have a second job in the UK?
Yes, in England and Wales, provided you give written notice and the interest is held compatible with remaining a member of the force. Under regulation 8 of the Police Regulations 2003 the chief officer directs an 'appropriate officer' in the force's professional standards function to decide, within 28 days of your notice. You can appeal to the chief officer within 10 days.
• Do police need permission for side jobs?
Yes. You must immediately give written notice to the chief officer of any business interest you have or propose to have that has not already been disclosed (Police Regulations 2003, regulation 8(1)). If the interest is refused and the refusal becomes final, it is treated as a lawful order, and if you do not abide by it the conduct rules apply as though there were a case to answer for gross misconduct (regulation 7(1)).
• Can I drive Uber as a police officer?
There is no national rule for or against. Each application is decided individually by the appropriate officer, who must consider whether the interest would mean your conduct fails to meet the Standards of Professional Behaviour (regulation 8(3)), including any risk to your impartiality. Force policies set the detail, so check yours. We have not found any published national data on which jobs are approved or refused.
• Can I run a business while serving?
Yes, with approval. Carrying on any business is a 'business interest' (regulation 7(2)), and the College of Policing's vetting form guidance lists property rental, directorships and online income among the interests to declare, even if someone else does the day-to-day work.
• What happens if I don’t declare a business interest?
Not giving notice breaches regulation 8(1), and the Standards of Professional Behaviour require officers to abide by police regulations, so it can be dealt with as misconduct; concealment can also raise honesty and integrity. Separately, carrying on an interest after a final refusal is dealt with as though there were a case to answer for gross misconduct (regulation 7(1)).
• Can student officers have second jobs?
Yes. The same notification and decision process in regulations 7 to 9 applies to every member of a police force, including student officers. Probationers can also be discharged under regulation 13 if not likely to become efficient or well-conducted, so a second job that affects training or attendance could become relevant there.
• Can approval be withdrawn?
It is not a permanent entitlement. An approval can require you to report changes, and any change is then treated as a new interest needing a fresh decision (regulation 8(6) and (7)). Review and withdrawal arrangements are set in force policy, so check yours.
• Is freelance work allowed?
Freelance or self-employed work is a business interest and needs notification and a decision like any other. There is no national list of approved activities; the question is whether it would conflict with your duties or the Standards of Professional Behaviour.
• Do police staff follow the same rules?
Police staff usually have similar secondary employment policies, though they are governed by employment contracts rather than Police Regulations 2003.
• Can second jobs affect promotion?
Nothing in the regulations makes an approved business interest a bar to promotion. If it affected your performance or attendance, that could be relevant in the same way as any other performance issue. Check your force's promotion policy.
• Does having a business interest trigger vetting review?
It can form part of vetting. The College of Policing's vetting guidance says concerns about business interests or additional employment should be considered as part of the vetting assessment (Vetting APP, May 2025, 6.5.16). Officers must also promptly report changes in circumstances that may affect their vetting (Police (Vetting) Regulations 2025, regulation 5).
• Can I do security work off duty?
It needs notification and a decision like any other second job. Whether it is compatible depends on the risk of conflict with your duties and impartiality, and on force policy. We have not found published national data on how often it is refused.
Sources (checked 30 September 2026)
- Police Regulations 2003, regulations 6 to 9A and Schedule 1 (revised text): definition of business interest, notification, appropriate officer, 28-day decision, 10-day appeal, lawful order and gross misconduct consequence, restrictions on private life.
- College of Policing, Vetting authorised professional practice (May 2025, PDF): 6.5.16 and the business interests guidance in the vetting form.
- Metropolitan Police business interest procedure (November 2022, PDF): one force's example of annual review.
- GOV.UK, Self Assessment: who must send a tax return.
The conduct side is covered in more depth in off-duty conduct, social media and second jobs.
Related Resources
Real Terms Pay Analysis
Understand the inflationary drivers behind second job applications.
Police vs Private Sector
How total reward compares to corporate roles.
Overtime Guide
Maximum multipliers and claiming rules.
Misconduct Hub
The regulatory impact of professional standards.
Police Pension Hub
Protecting your long-term retirement value.
Gross Misconduct
Definitions and consequences for non-declaration.