Firearms Selection and
the Initial Course
What happens between deciding you want to be an authorised firearms officer and being authorised: the selection stages, the assessment, the fitness levels, vetting, the initial course and the only published course pass rates we could find. For serving officers in England and Wales.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 18 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Most forces run familiarisation sessions, then a written application with your line manager's support, then an assessment usually covering the use of force, conflict management and the law, plus a fitness test (the College recommends 7.6 for AFOs and 9.4 for ARV officers). Vetting and professional standards checks follow; AFOs need management vetting. Then comes the initial course, delivered to the national firearms curriculum. The Met's published pass rate across all its firearms courses was 79.8% in 2019/20 and 86.93% in 2023/24.
The numbers: a role with vacancies
At 31 March 2026, 6,558 officers in England and Wales were authorised to use a firearm, and 5,917 of them were deployable, according to the Home Office's firearms statistics for 2025/26. The Home Office calls the rise in deployable officers "the first annual increase since 31 March 2019". Forces ran 17,584 firearms operations that year, and 93% of them involved an armed response vehicle.
The demand is real. When HMICFRS inspected nine forces in 2023, it found that "all nine forces we inspected had fewer armed officers than the number set in their APSTRA" (the armed policing strategic threat and risk assessment each force completes every year). Forces filled the gap with shift changes, overtime and cancelled rest days.
HMICFRS also reported that "officers who become AFOs volunteer for that role" and that it "consistently heard anecdotal evidence that the role of AFO was becoming less popular", because of "the additional responsibility and increased scrutiny of the role, together with an adverse effect on their work-life balance". If you apply, expect the selection panel to probe whether you have thought hard about exactly those things.
Who can apply
An AFO is "a police officer who has been selected, trained, accredited and authorised by their chief officer to carry a firearm operationally" (College of Policing armed policing APP). The APP's section on selection says:
"Forces should have a documented application and selection process for AFOs which enables them to identify an individual's aptitude and suitability for training. Applicants should be able to evidence competence in general policing skills and a knowledge of relevant law and policy. The application should have appropriate line manager support."
In practice, that means:
- You are a serving officer, normally past probation. The national recruitment site says officers choose a specialism such as firearms once they have passed probation. The APP sets no minimum years of service; any further minimum is a force rule.
- You can show sound general policing. Your evidence of competence and knowledge of law and policy comes from your current role.
- Your line manager supports you. Ask early: they may need to plan for your release to the course.
- You can hold management vetting. The College's vetting guidance lists authorised firearms officers among posts needing MV (5.4.2.f). MV includes full financial checks and needs five years' UK residency before applying (5.3.2.c).
The APP also asks applicants to think hard before taking the role: an AFO "is individually responsible and accountable for their decisions and actions" and "may ultimately have to explain and justify their actions during criminal, coronial or conduct proceedings". Officers "should be encouraged to give this requirement due consideration during the application and selection process".
The selection stages
HMICFRS summarised the process it saw across the nine forces it inspected: "The process generally includes familiarisation sessions, followed by a formal written application and an assessment." Officers may also attend firearms ranges "for an awareness session before initial firearms training", and "the selection also includes vetting and professional standards department (PSD) checks."
| Stage | What it involves | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Familiarisation | Sessions that explain the role, and in some forces a range awareness visit before initial training. | HMICFRS 2023 |
| Written application | A formal application with evidence of competence in general policing skills and knowledge of relevant law and policy. | College armed policing APP; HMICFRS 2023 |
| Line manager support | The application should have appropriate line manager support. | College armed policing APP |
| Assessment | Usually on the use of force, conflict management and knowledge of the law. | HMICFRS 2023 |
| Fitness test | Part of the assessment. The College recommends Level 7.6 for AFOs and 9.4 for ARV officers. | HMICFRS 2023; College fitness standards |
| Medical | A medical and fitness stage; the AFO profile says medical and fitness tests are an annual requirement once in role. | Met FOI 2024 (Protection Command); College AFO profile |
| Vetting and PSD checks | Vetting and professional standards department checks. AFOs need management vetting. | HMICFRS 2023; College vetting APP 5.4.2.f |
| Initial firearms course | Training delivered to the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC). Course length depends on the role. | College APP (NPFTC); Code of Practice 6.2.2 |
| Authorisation | The chief officer authorises the officer to carry a firearm operationally. | College armed policing APP |
As one example, the Metropolitan Police described the route into its Protection Command in a 2024 FOI answer as a "written application, assessment centre, One Stop Shop (medical & fitness tests)", then a Taser course and a 5-week firearms course. Other forces order and name the stages differently, so read your force's advert closely.
What the assessment looks for
HMICFRS found the assessments "are usually on the use of force, conflict management and knowledge of the law, and include a fitness test". The College's APP suggests forces consider six characteristics alongside any competency framework they use:
- communication
- calm temperament
- resilience
- teamwork and co-operation
- information assimilation
- decision making under pressure
Those six give you the structure for your evidence. A strong application has a recent, specific example of each: a tense job you de-escalated, a fast-moving incident where you took in information quickly and changed your plan, a time you held your nerve when others did not. Interviews for operational specialist posts are usually marked against the Competency and Values Framework too, so map each example to a CVF competency as well.
The legal basis for force (statute, common law and human rights) and how decisions are recorded and justified are central to armed policing. Our use of force rules explained is a starting point; your force's familiarisation material and the College's armed policing APP go further.
Fitness: 7.6, 9.4 or 10.5
The College of Policing's job-related fitness standards recommend these levels on the 15m shuttle run:
- Authorised firearms officer (AFO): 7.6 (treadmill alternative: 12 minutes)
- Armed response vehicle (ARV) officer: 9.4 (run test alternative: 8 minutes)
- Dynamic intervention AFO: 10.5 (run test alternative: 10 minutes)
These are recommendations; forces decide how to apply them. The College says they were set from physiological data recorded while officers did training exercises that replicated the role's real demands. Most ARV posts need 9.4, a long way above the 5.4 every officer needs for personal safety training, so test yourself early and train for months, not weeks. The AFO profile says medical and fitness tests are an annual requirement once you are in role.
Our specialist fitness standards guide sets out a phased plan from 5.4 to 9.4.
The initial firearms course
Every force trains to the same national curriculum. The College describes the National Police Firearms Training Curriculum (NPFTC) as "a programme of nationally accredited firearms training", and notes that "access to the NPFTC is restricted to authorised members of the police service". The detailed syllabus is not public, and we have not guessed at it. The Code of Practice on armed policing (6.2.2) says forces must make sure the "selection, training and accreditation of officers" meets the requirements of the NPFTC, the armed policing APP and the College's licensing standards, and adds that while the College sets the standards, "it is for forces to authorise such operational deployment" (6.2.3).
Course length depends on the role and the force. These are the official figures we found:
| Course | Length stated | Who says so, and when |
|---|---|---|
| Met Protection Command firearms course (for PaDP officers, AFO course) | 5 weeks | Metropolitan Police FOI answer, September 2024 |
| Met basic firearms officer course | 4 weeks | Mayor of London answer to the London Assembly, 2016 (dated) |
| Met armed response vehicle (ARV) officer course | 9 weeks | Mayor of London answer to the London Assembly, 2016 (dated) |
| MOD Police initial firearms course (not a Home Office force) | 9 weeks | MOD Police careers page |
The jump between the basic AFO course and the ARV course reflects the extra tactics and driving involved in armed response. The 2016 Met figures are dated and may have changed; ask your force for the current course plan.
A place on the course is not authorisation. The Code of Practice says firearms "must be issued only to officers assessed as competent" (4.4.1), and HMICFRS describes the chief officer's authorisation as following selection, training and accreditation. Plan as if the course is the hardest stage, because for many people it is.
Course pass rates: the Met's published figures
We found one set of published figures. In an FOI answer published in September 2024 (reference 01.FOI.24.038008), the Metropolitan Police gave pass rates under the heading "ALL FIREARMS COURSES":
| Year | All Met firearms courses | Non-BAME officers | BAME officers |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2019/20 | 79.8% | 80.87% | 71.68% |
| 2020/21 | 85.61% | 86.46% | 77.95% |
| 2021/22 | 86.56% | 87.81% | 78.53% |
| 2022/23 | 83.93% | 85.23% | 74.53% |
| 2023/24 | 86.93% | 88.44% | 76.88% |
How to read them:
- They cover all Met firearms courses, not just the initial course, so they include courses for officers who are already armed. They are not an initial course pass rate.
- They are one force. The Met is the largest force, but its courses and standards may differ from yours. There is no national published pass rate.
- Roughly one in seven to one in five attempts did not pass in each year shown, from about 20% in 2019/20 to about 13% in 2023/24.
- There is a gap by ethnicity. BAME officers' pass rates were lower than non-BAME officers' in every year, by between about 8.5 and 11.6 percentage points. The FOI gives the figures without explaining them.
The same FOI gives the number of deployable Met AFOs at 31 March each year, from 2,155 in 2014 to a peak of 2,623 in 2019 and 2,264 in 2024. The Met's AFO count "includes all deployable MPS firearms officers including role profiles of" CTSFO, ARV and other armed roles.
After the course: authorisation and annual training
Passing is the start. HMICFRS reports that "following their initial course, AFOs attend annual mandatory training" and that "most AFOs complete about 120 hours of training each year", more for officers with extra roles such as rifle officer. The College's AFO profile lists "mandatory refresher training in all modules and units of the" NPFTC and medical and fitness tests as an "annual requirement".
Forces must also have "a process in place for monitoring the continued suitability of an officer to perform an armed policing role" (College APP), so changes in your personal or professional circumstances can affect your authorisation. HMICFRS found that over half the forces it inspected had firearms training facilities they themselves rated as failing or deteriorating, and some officers travelled long distances to train, which is worth asking about in your force.
Tiers above AFO, such as ARV, specialist firearms roles and CTSFO, each have their own selection and training. See firearms officer explained for the tiers and pay. On pay: the Met said in a 2023 FOI answer that its specialist firearms command "does not provide additional payments specifically for being an AFO".
How to prepare: a 12-week plan
This is our practical guidance, built around the stages above. It is not an official programme.
- Week 1: find out exactly what your force asks. Get the advert or selection policy, the fitness level (7.6 or 9.4), any minimum service rule, and dates for familiarisation sessions. Book onto a familiarisation session if one is offered.
- Weeks 1 to 12: fitness. Run a baseline test now. If you need 9.4 and you are at 7, you need structured interval training several times a week, not occasional runs. Retest every three or four weeks.
- Weeks 2 to 5: evidence. Write one example for each of the six APP characteristics, from the last two years. Keep each to situation, what you did and why, and the result.
- Weeks 3 to 8: law and decision making. Revise the legal basis for force and how decisions are recorded and explained afterwards. Practise talking through a decision using the College's National Decision Model.
- Weeks 4 to 6: vetting housekeeping. MV includes full financial checks. Make sure your declarations are up to date and raise any changes in circumstances now, not at the vetting stage.
- Weeks 6 to 8: talk to armed officers. Ask about shift patterns, training days, the scrutiny after a deployment and the effect on home life. HMICFRS found those are the reasons the role is becoming less popular; the panel will want to know you have thought about them.
- Weeks 8 to 12: rehearse. Practise answers out loud, timed, and ask an AFO or firearms sergeant to run a mock interview.
Our original practice questions for firearms boards are in specialist role interview questions and answers.
If you are not selected or do not pass the course
Failing firearms selection or the course does not end your career. You stay in, or return to, your current role. Ask for structured feedback on each stage, and ask how long you must wait before reapplying, as this is a force rule. Fitness and knowledge gaps are the easiest to close; if the feedback is about judgement under pressure, look for roles and incidents that build that experience before your next attempt.
Remember the Met's figures: across all its firearms courses, between roughly 13% and 20% of attempts did not pass in each year from 2019/20 to 2023/24. Not passing is not unusual.
What we could not verify
- A national pass rate for the initial firearms course, or any force's initial course pass rate on its own. The Met figures cover all its firearms courses.
- The content of the NPFTC, which the College restricts to the police service.
- Any national minimum length of service for firearms applicants.
- A national eyesight or psychological assessment standard for AFO selection. Forces set their medical process; ask your occupational health unit.
- Current initial course lengths in most forces. We only quote lengths from official sources, and the 2016 Met figures may be out of date.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is the pass rate for police firearms training?
The only published figures we found are the Metropolitan Police's. In an FOI answer published in September 2024, it gave a total pass rate across all its firearms courses of 79.8% in 2019/20, 85.61% in 2020/21, 86.56% in 2021/22, 83.93% in 2022/23 and 86.93% in 2023/24. These cover all firearms courses in one force, not only the initial course, so treat them as a guide rather than a national rate.
How long is the initial firearms course?
It depends on the role and the force. The Met said in 2024 that officers joining its Protection Command do a 5-week firearms course. A 2016 answer to the London Assembly gave 4 weeks for a basic Met firearms officer and 9 weeks for an ARV officer. The MOD Police, which is not a Home Office force, runs a 9-week initial firearms course. Ask your force for the current length.
What fitness level do I need for firearms?
The College of Policing recommends Level 7.6 on the 15m shuttle run for authorised firearms officers, 9.4 for armed response vehicle officers and 10.5 for dynamic intervention AFOs. The treadmill alternative for AFOs is 12 minutes. Forces decide how they apply the standards.
How long do you need to serve before applying for firearms?
The College's armed policing guidance does not set a minimum period. It says applicants should be able to evidence competence in general policing skills and knowledge of relevant law and policy, with line manager support. Most officers will need to have passed probation, and some forces add a minimum period of service. Check your force's advert.
What does the firearms selection assessment test?
HMICFRS found in 2023 that firearms assessments are usually on the use of force, conflict management and knowledge of the law, and include a fitness test. The College suggests forces consider communication, calm temperament, resilience, teamwork and co-operation, information assimilation and decision making under pressure.
Do firearms officers need higher vetting?
Yes. The College of Policing's vetting guidance lists authorised firearms officers among the posts that need management vetting (MV). MV includes full financial checks, lasts seven years and needs five years' UK residency before applying.
How many armed police officers are there in England and Wales?
At 31 March 2026, 6,558 officers were authorised to use a firearm, of whom 5,917 were deployable, according to the Home Office. There were 17,584 firearms operations in the year to March 2026, and 93% involved an armed response vehicle.
How much training do firearms officers do after the course?
HMICFRS reported in 2023 that AFOs attend annual mandatory training after their initial course, and that most complete about 120 hours of training a year. Additional roles, such as rifle officer, add more.
Is there a gap in firearms course pass rates by ethnicity?
In the Met's figures, yes. Across all its firearms courses, BAME officers' pass rates were between about 8.5 and 11.6 percentage points below non-BAME officers' in each year from 2019/20 to 2023/24. The FOI gives the figures without explaining the gap.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 18 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.
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.24.038008: Authorised firearm officers of BAME background (September 2024) : pass rates for all firearms courses 2019/20 to 2023/24, deployable AFO numbers, caveats (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing APP: Issue and carriage of firearms : AFO definition, selection of AFOs, continued suitability (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing APP: National Police Firearms Training Curriculum : nationally accredited training; access restricted to the police service (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Authorised firearms officer professional profile : annual medical and fitness tests; mandatory refresher training (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Armed policing and police use of less lethal weapons code of practice (2020), GOV.UK : selection, training and accreditation to NPFTC and licensing standards (6.2.2); forces authorise deployment (6.2.3) (accessed 18 October 2026)
- HMICFRS: An inspection of how effective police forces are in the deployment of firearms (July 2023) : selection stages, fewer armed officers than APSTRA, annual training of about 120 hours, role less popular (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Home Office: Police use of firearms statistics, April 2025 to March 2026 (2 July 2026) : armed and deployable officers, firearms operations, ARV share (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Job-related fitness standards : AFO 7.6, ARV 9.4, dynamic intervention AFO 10.5; AFO treadmill 12 minutes (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Vetting authorised professional practice (May 2025, PDF) : AFOs need MV (5.4.2.f); MV validity (5.4.2.g); residency (5.3.2) (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.24.040009 (September 2024) : Protection Command selection and 5-week firearms course (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Mayor of London answer to the London Assembly: Armed police officers (2016) : Met course lengths in 2016: basic firearms 4 weeks, ARV 9 weeks (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Ministry of Defence Police: Firearms training : 9-week initial firearms course; annual refresher training (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Metropolitan Police FOI 01.FOI.23.032880: MO19 Specialist Firearms Command (November 2023) : no additional payment specifically for being an AFO (accessed 18 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Practice, fitness and pay
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or produced by the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force. Specialist selection is run by each force (or regional collaboration) and criteria, tenure rules, fitness standards and course lengths differ, so check your force's current advert and policy before you apply. Practice questions on this site are original PolicePay material, not real selection or exam content. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 18 October 2026.