Intelligence Analyst
Recruitment

Police intelligence teams usually have two staff roles. Intelligence researchers gather and develop information from police systems and other sources. Intelligence analysts turn information into assessments: patterns, problem profiles and recommendations that help decide where to put resources. The College of Policing publishes a professional profile for each, and their entry requirements differ:

• Researcher: "Educated to a level 3 standard or equivalent, or two years of research experience", with IPP certification within a year.
• Analyst: "Educated to Level 6 (for example, degree with or without honours) or equivalent experience in the field of analysis", with IPP certification which "can be completed within 12 months of appointment".

Researcher posts are therefore a realistic way into intelligence work if you do not yet have a degree or analytical experience. Our analyst pay and role guide covers the work in more depth.

• Education or experience. South Yorkshire: degree level or equivalent proven analytical experience. Thames Valley says you don't need a degree to be an analyst. GMP's researcher post: GCSE grade C maths and English and two A levels or equivalent, or research experience.
• Data and IT skills. South Yorkshire asks for high-level aptitude in Microsoft Excel; GMP's researcher specification asks for spreadsheet experience and knowledge of analytical IT, database and data-mining software.
• IPP. Every intelligence advert we read asked for IPP or the willingness to complete it.
• Desirable training. South Yorkshire lists the Intelligence Analyst Foundation Course, NIAT (National Intelligence Analysis Tactical training) or a recognised equivalent as desirable.
• Working pattern. Mostly office hours: the West Yorkshire researcher post is 37 hours Monday to Friday, and Police Scotland's last analyst advert was Monday to Friday 09:00 to 17:00. South Yorkshire mentions a possible standby on-call rota and hybrid working.

Recruitment vetting is the College of Policing's minimum for all police staff, but intelligence posts often need more. South Yorkshire's analyst profile requires a security check (SC). The counter-terrorism researcher posts at GMP and West Yorkshire require developed vetting (DV), and the Yorkshire ROCU researcher post SC and STRAP. The West Yorkshire counter-terrorism post also asks for British citizenship and carries a ten-year residency note.

National security vetting takes longer and looks deeper than recruitment vetting, including finances. Our vetting levels guide explains how police vetting and SC or DV fit together.

Applications for intelligence posts are competency based. The West Yorkshire and Yorkshire ROCU adverts both use an "Evidence of Achievement" section assessed against the Competency and Values Framework. GMP's researcher advert says candidates are invited to "an assessment and/or competency-based interview".

We did not find an official source describing what analyst assessments contain (for example an Excel task, a data exercise or a presentation of findings), so we do not describe one. If your invitation mentions an assessment, it is reasonable to ask the recruitment team what format it takes and whether you will use a computer, and to ask for any adjustments you need.

The College of Policing's Intelligence Professionalisation Programme (IPP) is the professional certification for intelligence roles. The analyst profile says it can be completed within 12 months of appointment and that a minimum CPD requirement maintains competence and certification. The West Yorkshire researcher profile includes completing an IPP portfolio as part of development, and South Yorkshire allows up to two years.

The strongest preparation is one piece of real analysis you can talk through in detail: the question, the data, how you cleaned and checked it, what you found, how confident you were and what happened as a result. University projects, business reporting, market research and audit work all count.

1. Decide whether you meet the analyst requirements or should start as a researcher.
2. Check the vetting level and any nationality or residency rules before applying.
3. Brush up spreadsheet skills (pivot tables, lookups, charts, cleaning data) since adverts treat them as essential.
4. Prepare a worked example of your own analysis, and practise explaining it in plain English in a few minutes.
5. Prepare CVF examples for the competencies the advert names.