Have you ever wondered 'how to be a police officer' or maybe whether you could do the job that maintains peace and prevents crime in society? Could you deal with an angry mob late at night or comfort a grieving relative? Be the first on the scene at a murder or drive a police car with the blue light flashing and sirens wailing whilst weaving in and out of traffic? It's not all excitement, though, and unlike police TV dramas it will take you longer than an hour to solve a crime. Could you really do the job? This book takes you from those first thoughts about joining, into the training itself and then the real work involved in policing. As well as an essential layman's guide to the job, this book tells the author's story from joining in the late 1970s through his thirty years' police service working in London and across the UK. It explains the current recruitment process and training delivered from a personal perspective, as the author now trains prospective police recruits. A must-read for anyone wishing to become a police officer or even for those who have already joined.