Post title: Police Constable – Dog Section
Type of contract: Full time
Rank/Grade: PC
Directorate/Department: Local Policing/Taskforce
Statement of expectation for the role: Minimum of 2 years
Vetting level required: RV/CTC
Location: Bishopsgate Police Station
Salary: According to National Police Pay Scales plus London Weighting and London Allowance; Dog handler allowance*, vehicle allowance and mileage.
*Subject to allocation of a working dog.
Description of Department:
The City of London Police Dog Section is a unit comprising of Specialist search & General patrol dogs (GPDs). Based in the heart of the City, it serves the needs of London’s public & colleagues in the wider London area. Handler must be suitable to handle both Specialist Search and GPD. The current vacancy is for General Patrol Dog (GPD) as the primary discipline, with an expectation to dual handle.
Role Purpose
- To provide proactive and reactive assistance in support of all operational officers and specialist departments by appropriate use of police dogs; to locate and retrieve evidence or offenders, to control potential and actual disturbances, and to enhance officer and public safety.
Key Responsibilities:
- Respond promptly to requests for a police dog, supplying professional expertise and tactical advice and operational support to front line officers.
• Conduct searches using general purpose or specialist dogs in support of local officers; to expedite the location of missing persons and the arrest of offenders; and to support local officers in their investigations and responses to incidents.
• Support the containment of dangerous dogs out of control including inter-familial dog attacks and cases on private property, to protect public safety.
• Conduct directed patrols in response to local priorities and in support of divisional and area officers, to detect and prevent crime.
• Support front line Officers in the capture and control of dogs on premises to enable a safe working environment when conducting search warrants or interventions into premises.
• Provide a source of specialist advice to operational policing units on the deployment of dogs, to contribute to the development of appropriate strategies and tactical plans in support of front-line initiatives.
• Promote and deliver educational talks and displays to colleagues and members of the public; to acquaint them with the roles and skills of police dogs, and to support the development of positive relationships between the police and public.
• Undertake the proper care, training and handling of general purpose and specialist police dogs; to ensure the health, wellbeing and operational effectiveness of the dog(s).
Essential criteria:
To be considered for this role applicants must also meet the initial eligibility requirements below:
- Experience as an operational Police GPD &/or search Dog Handler. Current NCTAS accredited Dog handler (GPD and or Specialist Search)
- High level of written and verbal communication skills
- Able to use standard IT packages, systems and/or databases to fulfil role requirements.
- Be prepared to work GPD (Primary) and Specialist Search dogs (Secondary)
- Good team working skills demonstrating awareness of individual differences, and a proactive approach to relationship development with colleagues and stakeholders.
• Good communication skills with the ability to set out logical arguments clearly, adapting language, form and message to meet the needs of different people and audiences in diverse situations.
• Able to produce concise reports or other documents.
• Demonstrable experience of using effective communication skills with members of the public, particularly in confrontational situations.
• Problem solving skills with the ability to identify cause and effect and develop a course of action designed to target root causes as well mitigate effects.
• Able to identify, analyse, and manage risk to inform balanced, proportionate, evidenced-based decisions.
• Good time management skills with the ability to organise and prioritise.
• Able to review own performance objectively and take steps to make improvements.
The application and interview will be tested under Level 1 of the College of Policing Competency and Values Framework.
Applicants who fail to address the skills/knowledge/experience of the role, will not be considered.
If you would like to discuss the post in more detail, please contact PS Emma Ferguson (Emma.Ferguson@cityoflondon.police.uk) or Insp Myles Hilbery (myles.hilbery@cityoflondon.police.uk)
The closing date for applications is Wednesday 6th May 2026 @ 5PM.
This vacancy is open only to those who have the right to work in the UK.
The City of London Police is keen to promote flexible working and will, subject to operational policing requirements, proactively consider all applications to work flexibly.
The City of London Police is committed to equality of opportunities and continuously strive for inclusivity within our Force. We welcome applications from all sections of the community, particularly from those who are disabled, have long-term health conditions, and/or are neurodivergent, those with Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic backgrounds, female candidates, and LGBTQIA+ individuals.
Benefits:
We strive to ensure all our information and services are accessible to and useable by everyone. If you would like to receive any information in a different way or would like us to do anything differently to help you apply for our roles, please get in touch with HR via hrservices@cityoflondon.police.uk.
* In return, we will offer a number of benefits including a generous pension scheme, a free Oyster card for London (TFL) travel and subsidised national rail travel, which allows you to travel within a 70 mile radius. For further information please visit:
https://careers.cityoflondon.police.uk/working
The ATOC Rail Travel Concession allows regular serving police officers to travel on National Rail services within a 70 mile radius of London for a small monthly cost. This is a taxable benefit that the City of London Police negotiates and Officers make a contribution to the cost of the scheme. If you wish to confirm if your journey would be covered under this scheme, please contact HR Services directly as the 70 miles is an approximation. *
A diverse workforce improves the service we provide to our public by making us more approachable and relevant within our communities. This is why it’s vitally important that we recruit people from a wide range of communities and backgrounds with an understanding of cultural issues and a wide range of skills. We therefore particularly encourage female and people from Black, Asian and other Minority Ethnic communities to join us.
The way we work is changing. With a few exceptions most roles will be able to accommodate part time, job share and flexible working patterns. We can also offer hybrid working patterns of home and office based shift patterns. Feel free to speak to us about any flexible working requirements.
The Force has a number of Staff Support Networks that can offer you support and advice. Applicants are very welcome to contact the networks directly if they need any support or ask any question before they apply. For further information on the networks and their contact details please visit:
