South Wales Police Jobs
Whether South Wales is recruiting, which entry routes are open, what the job pays once allowances, tax and pension are counted, and exactly where to apply.
Also searched as south wales police, cardiff police, swansea police. South Wales Police covers Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and the South Wales Valleys.
Is South Wales Police recruiting? The short answer
We checked South Wales Police's own recruitment site on 1 October 2026. The careers page listed PCDA, DHEP and PCEP (September 2026 campaign) under currently recruiting. The force says it may close officer campaigns once it has the applications it needs. On 1 October 2026 the national joining the police website listed South Wales Police as recruiting police constables through PCDA, PCEP and DHEP. New constables start on £32,255 a year (national pay point 1, no regional allowance), rising to £52,015 at the top of the constable scale, on rates from 1 September 2026. To apply, use the force's own recruitment page below, not a job board.
Force's own site
Open
Constable applications, checked 1 October 2026
Constable routes open
PCDA, PCEP and DHEP
National site, 1 October 2026
Starting salary
£32,255
Constable pay point 1, from 1 September 2026
Officers recruited
259 FTE
Year to 31 March 2026, excluding transfers (Home Office)
Job board reading
Can't verify
Our tracker, all role types
We are independent and do not recruit for any force. Recruitment windows open and close without notice, so check the force's own site for current vacancies and closing dates before you rely on anything here. The route list is a dated reading of joiningthepolice.co.uk (national police recruitment site); this page stops showing it 35 days after that date. What South Wales's own site said is a dated reading too, and this page stops showing it 60 days after 1 October 2026.
How South Wales recruits: what its own site says
We read South Wales Police's own recruitment pages on 1 October 2026 and summarised what they state about its process and local rules, in our words, with a link to each page. These are the details that differ between forces and that a national guide cannot tell you. Anything not listed here we did not find on those pages, so ask the force's recruitment team rather than assume.
| Topic | What South Wales's pages said | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Constable applications | The careers page listed PCDA, DHEP and PCEP (September 2026 campaign) under currently recruiting. The force says it may close officer campaigns once it has the applications it needs. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
| Entry routes described | PCDA, DHEP and PCEP were the constable routes listed as recruiting. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
| Welsh language | You can apply with no Welsh, but all police officer recruits are expected to reach level 2 Welsh by the end of probation, with support provided. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
| Reapplying and other forces | A full pass at a national assessment centre in the previous 24 months can be transferred, but only during a live campaign. If you have applications with other forces, South Wales asks you to choose one after passing the assessment centre. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
| Transferring in | A transferee opportunity for police officers was listed under currently recruiting. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
| Also stated | Recruits may be posted to any local policing unit in the force area. | Force page ↗ 1 Oct 2026 |
Get ready for the online assessment
Every route runs through the College of Policing online assessment. The free readiness check shows which parts to work on first.
OAC readiness check →Vetting comes last and takes longest
Be honest and complete on the vetting form; forces say leaving something out can itself lead to refusal. The free stage checker explains where you are and what usually comes next.
Vetting stage checker →South Wales vacancies we can see
Our tracker reads South Wales's job board twice a day where the system allows it. Most adverts on a force job board are police staff roles, not constable intakes. Where the board blocks automated reading, the panel says so rather than guessing.
South Wales vacancies right now
This force's recruitment system blocks automated checks, so we can't read it directly.
We can't read South Wales Police's vacancy list directly, so there's no live advert list on this page. Their careers site is linked above, and you can ask us to alert you below.
What South Wales actually pays
Officer pay is set nationally, so the advert figure is the same almost everywhere. What changes between forces is the allowance on top, and no force advert tells you what lands in your account after the 12.88% pension contribution.
Starting salary
£32,255
National scale, no supplement
Take-home
£1,952
per month, after tax, NI and pension (estimate)
Top of scale
£52,015
constable pay point 7
Against all 43
#11
top payer is the Met at £42,334
Constable pay scale at South Wales
Rates from 1 September 2026. New recruits join at point 1 of the 7-point scale (constables appointed since April 2013) and move up each year, subject to satisfactory performance. Some forces start recruits at point 2.
| Pay point | National base | At South Wales |
|---|---|---|
| Point 1 (on appointment) | £32,255 | £32,255 |
| Point 2 | £33,609 | £33,609 |
| Point 3 | £34,972 | £34,972 |
| Point 4 | £36,335 | £36,335 |
| Point 5 | £39,058 | £39,058 |
| Point 6 | £44,544 | £44,544 |
| Point 7 | £52,015 | £52,015 |
South Wales jobs are not only officer jobs
Searches for "south wales police jobs" cover four quite different roles, each recruited on its own timetable. The figures are South Wales Police's own workforce at 31 March 2026 from the Home Office statistics.
Police officer (constable)
3,534 FTE
Warranted officers on the national pay scale, recruited through the entry routes below. £32,255 to start.
Officer routes →
Police staff
2,375 FTE
Call handling, custody detention officers, investigators, analysts, forensics, IT and admin. Pay is set by the force's own grading, not the officer scale.
Police staff guide →
PCSO
369 FTE
Paid, uniformed neighbourhood role without a warrant card. Recruited by each force on its own schedule.
How to become a PCSO →
Special constable
77 people
Unpaid volunteer officers with full police powers. Some forces count special constable service towards constable entry.
Special constable guide →
How to apply to South Wales: the stages
Every force in England and Wales uses the College of Policing's national sift and online assessment, and appointment rules come from regulation 10 of the Police Regulations 2003; forces add their own steps in between. Each stage links to a free tool or guide for that step.
-
Step 1
Check you are eligible
Age 17 to apply and 18 to be appointed, the right to live and work in the UK, and the qualification for your chosen route. Residency, tattoos, debt and past offences are checked at vetting.
Eligibility reality check → -
Step 2
Choose a route the force has open
PCDA, PCEP, DHEP, the professional policing degree holder route, detective entry or rejoiner. Not every force runs every route at once.
Entry routes compared → -
Step 3
Application form and national sift
A national application form, then a situational judgement test and a behavioural styles questionnaire.
National sift guide → -
Step 4
Online assessment process
A competency-based interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise, marked against the competency and values framework.
OAC readiness check → -
Step 5
Any force interview
Constable candidates other than transferees must pass an in-person interview with the force (Police Regulations 2003, regulation 10(1)(eb)). Check South Wales's recruitment page for the format it uses.
Practise interview questions → -
Step 6
Fitness, medical and vetting
The job-related fitness test (15m multi-stage shuttle run), a medical and eyesight check, drugs test, and vetting of you and your close associates.
Vetting stage checker →
On Welsh language, we checked South Wales's own pages on 1 October 2026. You can apply with no Welsh, but all police officer recruits are expected to reach level 2 Welsh by the end of probation, with support provided.
Not sure how long all of this takes? The free timeline planner lays out each stage from application to start date, so you can plan notice at work and money around it.
Plan my timeline →Ways to join South Wales as an officer
These are the officer routes used across England and Wales. South Wales decides which it runs and when; the official recruitment page above shows what is open now.
PCEP
Police Constable Entry Programme
A two-year, non-degree route to becoming a police constable, delivered by the force. Forces can choose to accredit it with a level 5 professional policing qualification.
Two years, with a two-year probation
PCDA
Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship
A three-year apprenticeship where you are paid as a constable while completing a degree in professional policing practice, delivered by the force with a university.
Three years, with a three-year probation
DHEP
Degree Holder Entry Programme
A two-year route for people who already hold a degree in any subject, leading to a graduate diploma in professional policing practice paid for by the force.
Two years, with a two-year probation
Detective
Detective Entry Routes
Detective pathways built on the constable entry routes: a detective degree holder entry programme for graduates and, in some forces, a detective police constable entry programme that usually needs no degree.
Two-year probation, plus the learning needed for PIP 2 accreditation
Transferee
Transferee (Serving Officers)
A move for officers already serving in another force, keeping rank, pay point and pension scheme membership.
Set by the receiving force; vetting and references are the usual waits
Rejoiner
Rejoiners (Former Officers)
A route back for former officers who completed constable probation and resigned or retired, appointed at a rank the chief officer decides.
Probation of 6 months if you rejoin within 12 months at your old rank, otherwise 12 months
Comparing routes? Read every police entry route compared, or compare South Wales with other forces on pay and location.
Where you'd be policing
South Wales Police covers Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and the South Wales Valleys, with headquarters at Bridgend. New officers are usually posted where the force needs them rather than to a station of their choosing, so it is worth being realistic about commuting across the whole force area.
South Wales recruitment questions
Is South Wales Police recruiting in 2026? +
We checked South Wales Police's own recruitment site on 1 October 2026. The careers page listed PCDA, DHEP and PCEP (September 2026 campaign) under currently recruiting. The force says it may close officer campaigns once it has the applications it needs. On 1 October 2026 the national joining the police website listed South Wales Police as recruiting police constables through PCDA, PCEP and DHEP. Our own tracker, which reads the force's job board twice a day, reported: This force's recruitment system blocks automated checks, so we can't read it directly. Police staff, PCSO and special constable roles are advertised separately on the force's careers site, so a force can be closed to new constables and still have other vacancies open.
How do I apply to South Wales Police? +
Apply directly to South Wales Police through its own careers site. For police constable roles the national stages are an application form, the national sift (a situational judgement test and a behavioural styles questionnaire) and the College of Policing online assessment (a competency-based interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise), followed by fitness, medical and vetting checks. Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations 2003 (regulation 10(1)(eb)) also require constable candidates, other than transferees, to pass an in-person interview with the force they apply to. Check South Wales's recruitment page for how it runs that stage. The force decides which entry routes it opens and when.
Do I need to speak Welsh to join South Wales Police? +
We checked South Wales Police's recruitment pages on 1 October 2026. You can apply with no Welsh, but all police officer recruits are expected to reach level 2 Welsh by the end of probation, with support provided. Welsh language expectations are set by each Welsh force and they differ, so read the language section of the advert you apply to.
Where are South Wales Police vacancies advertised? +
On South Wales Police's own careers and vacancies pages, which is the only place an application can be made. Constable entry routes also appear on the national joining the police website's "which forces are recruiting" list. Job boards sometimes repost police staff adverts, but the force's own advert is the one with the current closing date.
How much do South Wales Police officers get paid? +
New constables start on £32,255 a year (national pay point 1, no regional allowance), rising to £52,015 at the top of the constable scale, on rates from 1 September 2026. After income tax, National Insurance and the 12.88% pension contribution, the starting figure is roughly £1,952 a month. Increments move you up the scale each year, subject to satisfactory performance.
Which entry routes does South Wales Police use? +
We checked South Wales Police's own pages on 1 October 2026. PCDA, DHEP and PCEP were the constable routes listed as recruiting. On 1 October 2026 the national site listed PCDA, PCEP and DHEP as open at South Wales Police. Routes open and close separately, so a route missing from that list may simply be between intakes.
Can I join South Wales Police without a degree? +
Nationally, yes: the PCDA and PCEP are open to people without a degree. The Home Office list in Annex BA lets a chief officer accept a level 3 qualification (such as two A levels), or equivalent experience, including service as a special constable or PCSO. Whether South Wales Police is running either route at the moment is a matter for the force; on 1 October 2026 the national site listed PCDA and PCEP as open there.
How many officers does South Wales Police have? +
3,534 full-time equivalent officers (3,568 people) at 31 March 2026, according to the Home Office police workforce statistics published on 22 July 2026. In the year to 31 March 2026 the force took on 259 officers (FTE, excluding transfers) and 21 transferred in from other forces.
How long does South Wales Police recruitment take? +
There is no published national timescale, and it varies by force, intake date and how quickly vetting and medical checks clear. The College of Policing's guide to joining describes the stages but does not give a fixed length. Our recruitment timeline planner lays out the stages so you can see where the waits usually fall.
Where would I be posted with South Wales Police? +
South Wales Police covers Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend, Merthyr Tydfil and the South Wales Valleys, with headquarters at Bridgend. The main population centres include Cardiff, Swansea, Bridgend. New officers are usually posted where the force needs them rather than to a station of their choosing, so it is worth being realistic about travelling across the whole force area.
Does South Wales Police take transferees? +
We checked South Wales Police's pages on 1 October 2026. A transferee opportunity for police officers was listed under currently recruiting. Our guide to transferring between forces explains what happens to your pay point, pension and probation.
Moving from another force? See how to transfer between police forces. Left the police and thinking of coming back? See rejoining the police.
What candidates say about applying to South Wales Police
Anonymous reviews from real officers and candidates — checked before publishing, never shared with the force.
0 reviews so far
Tell me when South Wales opens
South Wales Police opens and closes recruitment windows at different times. Register once and we'll email you when a new South Wales vacancy appears on our tracker, and, only if you tick the box, introduce you to their recruitment team.
Other forces in Wales
Where these figures come from
- South Wales Police: careers page (read 1 October 2026) — what the force's own site said about applications, routes, its interview and local rules
- South Wales Police: police officer application guidance page (read 1 October 2026) — what the force's own site said about applications, routes, its interview and local rules
- Home Office:Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2026 (published 22 July 2026) — officer, staff, PCSO and special constable numbers and officer joiners for this force
- joiningthepolice.co.uk: which forces are recruiting (read 1 October 2026) — constable entry routes listed as open, by force
- College of Policing: joining the police as a new PC — the four constable entry routes and the national application stages
- Home Office Circular 002/2024, Annex BA: policing qualifications and experience — level 3 or equivalent for PCDA and PCEP; a degree for DHEP
- PolicePay: police pay scales 2026 — the constable scale and allowances used on this page
Take-home figures are estimates using 2026/27 tax and National Insurance and the police pension contribution rate for the salary band; your payslip will differ with tax code, overtime, allowances and student loan. PolicePay is independent and not affiliated with South Wales Police, the College of Policing or the Home Office.
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