Pros
It used to be a vocation with a good pension for 30 years service.
Cons
Morale is at an all time low. Management bullying at all levels is rife. They will stop at nothing to get promoted further. However they will leave you alone if your are from any Protected Minority group as they are scared of being labelled an "ist"! Free Masonary is still rife within the organisation. Why do you think headquarters is called "Sherwood Lodge". Don't be fooled by its idyllic setting in wooded grounds. Force grievance and internal complaint policies only play lip service. Raising one will certainly guarantee your card is marked for all of your service. Take it from me I know as I was a front line officer for 23 years before leaving. In my experience the HR department refused to acknowledge "work place stress" existed. However during my illness I had excellent support from the force occupational health department and my own GP; without them I don't know where I would be now. So if you want to join a job that will break you and spit you out at the other end without any real regard for you as a person or your mental health then be my guest. However on balance if your face does fit and you are able to sell your soul to the monster it has become you will have a great time. Just get yourself off the frontline as fast as you can by either chasing promotion and dumping on colleagues or get yourself into some back office function with an incredibly complex remit that no one will understand or challenge. That way you'll cruise through your 35 years having done very little work but you'll look incredibly busy doing what ever it is you are meant to be doing. Good luck to you and I wish you all the best if you can survive where I didn't. I am not bitter....I was broken. I am happy to be human again.