Army reserves while in PSNI question

Narwahls

Just wondering if anyone has any knowledge around what's the PSNIs stance on officers joining the army reserve and if there is any allowance made for time commitments to the reserves?

Currently awaiting my merit list position and I thought that applying to the army reserves may offer some skills that would help my career and also just because it interests me.

Any info would be appreciated, thanks

Blueandtwo1320

I'm also in the Army reserves. I know a few police officers that are in my unit and have been doing it for a few years so it's definitely do-able but I'd say it would be hard enough. Officers find it hard enough to arrange their annual leave never mind additional time. You will need to do a 2 week camp every year to qualify for your bounty. The rest of the time is mainly made up of weekends, but trying to get those weekends off whilst working a shift pattern could be hard. And even if you are off the weekend, would you really want to be on exercise for a weekend then working a week of shifts?

If you are thinking of doing it I would probably get the initial basic training over and done with before you start garnerville. I think it was 2 week camp for Phase 1a and another 2 weeks in England for Phase 1b. It was hard enough going to be honest. But great opportunities, I went on an army skiing expedition with my units about 2 weeks after I passed initial training.

CreadanLady

I am surprised you could be in the PSNI and Irish army reserves at the same time. Would one or other organisation not have a major problem with that? Both jurisdictions being more or less ememies for decades

Narwahls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119046663#Comment_119046663

Cheers for the response.

I think the chance of getting the bounty and maintaining a social life, work etc would be a bit ambitious but I would be happy enough to skim below the bounty and get to do the exercises and drill nights whenever I have the time.

I've sent my details off to the army recruiters but they've said they have a bit of a backlog of a few weeks so hopefully I can get onto it before my PSNI application has progressed any further. Ideally I would like to achieve my alpha before gaernavile provided the psni stages go well.

How long roughly did it take you to get your 1a if you remember?

Narwahls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119046708#Comment_119046708

Would be the British army reserves, no chance I'm driving down to dundalk on a weekly basis to stand about lol

Hypomnesia

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/2058245401/army-reserves-while-in-psni-question

If you plan on joining them whilst already in the PSNI, you need to fill out forms and get authorisation from senior management first. Not too sure what the process is like if you are already in the reserves before joining.

Narwahls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119047098#Comment_119047098

Thanks for clearing that up, I'll give recruitment a call. PSNI would be the priority for me

NeeNaw21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119047098#Comment_119047098

Basically if you are in the reserves before you join the police they cannot make you leave.

However if you are not on the approved list you will only get unpaid special leave.

If you are on the list you get 10 days paid leave a year for reserve commitments.

Max001

What skills do you imagine that you might learn in which TA units, that would benefit your performance as a police constable?

Artillery? Armoured Corps? Signals? Or are you a high flyer and aiming for the Army Air Corps? 🤔

NeeNaw21

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119142534#Comment_119142534

Fitness being one .

Narwahls

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119142534#Comment_119142534

Primarily fitness but there are courses offered such as medical training etc

Max001

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119142918#Comment_119142918

FWIW, fitness and first aid skills, you can pick up anywhere. Yes, the Army emphasises fitness.

For obvious reasons. However, the first aid skills that you'll be taught initially will roughly be at the same level as

the civilian first aider course that's widely available. There might be a bit more emphasis on wounds/trauma, but it

will be minimal. The role of the infantry soldier is to stabilise a casualty for cas evac. Not to treat them.

The time commitments that the Army asks for publicly are the minimums. I would suggest that if all you ever

commit to are around the minimums, then your ability to increase your skills will also be minimal. Which in turn

means your opportunities for promotion would be negligible. (I would guess)

I don't know how far along the PSNI application pipeline you are, so what I'm suggesting carries a big caveat.

Think about doing something different, where you don't have to sign up for a specific number of years or that has

weekly commitments that you're going to find hard to fit around your police shift patterns. RNLI? Mountain Rescue?

I don't know what the curriculum is in Garnerville. It used to be the practice that recruits would obtain course notes

ahead of time from probationers. It used to be that you had a fair amount of things like powers of arrest to

memorise. That you'd be tested on weekly. If fitness is still a big thing in Garnerville, I'd definitely work on that, so

that you're well above what they expect. Similarly, whatever you have to memorise or learn in terms of legal

knowledge, I'd get hold of and memorise ahead of time. It'll make things much easier. Or, used to.

If you don't have much life experience, I'd think about volunteering for a homeless charity. A hostel. Or similar.

I had to ask directions from a PSNI officer in Belfast a couple of years ago and we got chatting for a few minutes.

She told me that the role today is 70% social work, dealing with the homeless, people with substance issues etc.

It maybe be different in the country stations like Omagh or Portadown. I don't know. But, some experience

with the practicalities of those types of groups in society might help you be a more effective police officer.

Something that doesn't seem to have changed, judging by the Spotlight programme shown on the BBC recently,

is that you're partly judged by the amount and type of detections you generate monthly. Detections will mean

paperwork, which can be the bane of a police constable's life. So, your time management and organisational skills

need to be effective