Family members affecting chance to join police

rubydust

rubydust

Member
My son is starting to think about his career options after finishing high school. One of the things he is interested in is becoming a police officer.

However, I have heard that you aren't allowed to join if you have a family member with a criminal record. Is this true? His uncle was convicted for fraud in the past. Does this mean that my son will be unable to become a police officer?
 
In the UK, applicants have to disclose this information and a background check is performed but this is mainly to make sure that there are no ongoing links with criminality. It would be best to check with your local police department though - they will be able to give you a definitive answer.
 
You cannot possibly be responsible for the crime of your family members. That makes no sense. I'm sure, if it's something dramatic, you should disclose it. The only thing I can think could affect his eligibility would be that you are a family of mafia elites & he is joining to be on the take. Fraud? Not sure that affects him.
 
I think I heard about this too. And you can't marry someone with a record either. Kind of harsh. I'd like to see what other have t say about the subject also. Very good question.
 
It would be very unfair if the criminal past of family members affected people's career chances. Like you said, you shouldn't be held responsible for other people's actions. It does seem very unfair.

I'd love to hear if anyone has any personal experience of this, or any specific knowledge. I think it's worth me making a general enquiry with the police, to see what they advise.
 
Ideally, note the keyword, ideally, the person who desires to join the police force should not have a criminal record nor should there be any in his/her family. The reason I believe is because police officers aren't supposed to associate with criminals. Normally though it will be an issue only if your son still is in contact with his uncle. Otherwise, he's still eligible.
 
Rainman said:
Ideally, note the keyword, ideally, the person who desires to join the police force should not have a criminal record nor should there be any in his/her family. The reason I believe is because police officers aren't supposed to associate with criminals. Normally though it will be an issue only if your son still is in contact with his uncle. Otherwise, he's still eligible.
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I see. This sounds more fair. We don't even live in the same country as him now, and my son has only met him once in his whole life. So hopefully then, it shouldn't be a problem if he decides to apply to join in future.
 
rubydust said:
My son is starting to think about his career options after finishing high school. One of the things he is interested in is becoming a police officer.

However, I have heard that you aren't allowed to join if you have a family member with a criminal record. Is this true? His uncle was convicted for fraud in the past. Does this mean that my son will be unable to become a police officer?
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How old is your son anyway? I think he should be fine as long as he has had a clean sweep in his record. Check with your police department to see how their process works before applying.
 
Profit5500 said:
How old is your son anyway? I think he should be fine as long as he has had a clean sweep in his record. Check with your police department to see how their process works before applying.
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He's only in his early teens right now. But he's at the stage where he's having to choose his subject options and really think about what he wants to do with his life. Our school has a special class for kids who want to join the uniformed services.
 
As far as I know, and I have been through a lot of CJ classes, there is no truth to this. It is not an applicant's fault if their family members are less than law abiding citizens. In fact, sometimes the officers with family members who have been through the system make the most effective officers.
 
That's interesting. Why do you think this is? Do you think they are more sympathetic or understanding of the reasons behind certain behaviours? Or maybe it works the other way, making them less tolerant to law breaking, because they have seen how it can cause a lot of stress and strain on family relationships.
 
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