Security and Protective Services

If you work in this career area you might have to deal with emergencies every day:

• coastguards and firefighters help rescue people in dangerous situations
• police investigate crimes, find criminals, and bring them to court
• security staff make sure buildings and goods are safe, and deal with thieves and intruders
• traffic wardens and parking attendants deal with car parking
• civil servants in customs and immigration services control the entry of goods and people into the UK
• prison officers look after prisoners in jail and help with their rehabilitation.

Job prospects are generally good, although entry can be very competitive. It can help if you are able to move around the country.

As of March 2014 there were 17,244 police officers in Scotland, a decrease of 252 from 2013. However, Police Scotland are recruiting around 900 police officers in the 2014-2015 financial year. The Scottish Fire and Rescue Service employs around 9,000 staff in uniformed and non-uniformed roles. They deal with over 90,000 incidents a year. The Maritime and Coastguard Agency employs around 1,050 people who are supported by 3,500 volunteer Coastguard Rescue Officers in 362 teams based around the coast. There are 16 rescue coordination centres (MRCCs) in the UK, three of them in Scotland – Aberdeen, Lerwick and Stornoway. Most revenue and customs officers do not work in ports or airports, as you might think, but they visit companies and organisations throughout the country, checking taxes. Border Force officers are based at locations such as airports and ports to protect the UK border and prevent illegal immigrants and goods from entering the UK. Immigration officers working for UK Visas and Immigration (formerly part of the UK Border Agency) are mostly based in the south of England, although there is an office in Glasgow. The Scottish Prison Service (SPS) has 13 publicly managed prisons and 2 privately managed prisons in Scotland and employs around 4,200 staff in a variety of roles. There is a growing private security industry in Scotland, providing CCTV surveillance, security patrols and other guarding services as well as private investigation and intelligence services. This sector includes door supervisors and stewards. If you are going to work in the security and protective services, you need to be able to respond very quickly to emergencies. You should be quick thinking, assertive and not afraid of being in a dangerous situation yourself. You should be able to cope with distressing situations.

You can get into some of these jobs without qualifications, but it is helpful to have a good general education. For some jobs you need at least 2 subjects at Standard grade General or Credit level or National 4 or 5. There are entrance tests for the fire, police and prison services. The jobs and courses in this area are divided into 3 sectors:

• Emergency services
• Police and security work
• Prison work.

Sources

For detailed information about the following services visit their own websites at

Border Force (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/border-force)
Marine and Coastguard Agency (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/maritime-and-coastguard-agency)
Police Scotland (www.scotland.police.uk/)
Revenue and Customs (www.hmrc.gov.uk)
Scottish Fire and Rescue Service (www.firescotland.gov.uk/)
Scottish Prison Service (www.sps.gov.uk)
UK Visas and Immigration (www.gov.uk/government/organisations/uk-visas-and-immigration)

Scottish Government Police Officer Quarterly Strength Statistics Scotland (31 March 2014)

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