Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship

Careers don’t come more rewarding than this. Tackling crime, taking knives off the streets, engaging and educating young people and being the person everyone looks towards for help. A Police Officer’s role is demanding and diverse – no two days are the same. We’re looking for people who have the judgment to make quick decisions; are confident to be first person in; have the compassion and empathy to help those in need; who’ll have their colleagues back no matter what and the resilience to serve the community every single day.

In return, we promise a good starting salary, great training experiences, opportunities for progression, the chance to achieve a professional qualification in Policing Practice and the pride that comes from helping others. You will become part of our policing family; dedicated to keeping communities safe and feeling safe, identifying and protecting vulnerable people, preventing and responding to harm. You will be paid a full time salary of £29,907, plus £3,000 South East Allowance and after three years will have achieved a Degree in Professional Policing Practice.

Eligibility Criteria

• Be aged 17 years or over on the day you submit your application. You must be 18 years or over to start in post.
• Have lived in the UK for 3 continuous years immediately prior to application.
• Have leave to enter, or leave to remain in the UK for an indefinite period.
• Have a current full UK manual driving licence, by the time of appointment.
• Not be a member (current or previous) of the British National Party (BNP) or any other proscribed terrorist organisations or groups.
• Not have tattoos which cause offence.
• Not have serious motoring offences.
• Not have 6 or more points on your licence.

Qualification Criteria

• Have achieved GCSE Maths and English at grade A*-C/9-4 or an educational equivalent to a Level 2. You will need to provide copies of your qualifications on your application form.
• Have achieved one A Level grade A*-C or equivalent Level 3 AND one A level grade A*-E or AS level in a different subject, or equivalent Level 3. You must have a minimum of 48 UCAS points when both qualifications are combined.
• Applicants in their final year of studying towards a Level 3 qualification can apply using predicted grades. You will need to supply proof of your qualifications when you receive your results in August.
• Applicants can hold a Level 3 BTEC as long as this qualification or combination of qualifications meets the minimum 48 UCAS tariff points.
• The Certificate in Knowledge of Policing is accepted.
• Applicants who do not meet the above Level 3 criteria and believe they have work experience equivalent to a Level 3 can apply. Your work experience will be assessed against a Level 3 framework.
• You will be asked to complete a written experience assessment and online verbal reasoning and numerical tests. The results will then be assessed by a panel who will certify whether your previous work experience is equivalent to a Level 3 qualification.
• Applicants will also be considered as meeting the Level 3 qualification requirements, who have served for a minimum of 2 years within the last 5 years in the armed forces or similar law enforcement agencies and have exemplary references.

Recruitment Process

• Stage 1: Application Form and Eligibility Checks
• Stage 2: National Sift - Behavioural Style Questionnaire and Situational Judgement Test
• Stage 3: National Assessment Centre - Written briefing and competency-based interview
• Stage 4: Competency Based Interview
• Stage 5: Pre-employment checks consisting of references, vetting, medical, biometric vetting and substance misuse testing and fitness testing.

We anticipate starting dates will be from September 2025 onwards. Please note that we cannot guarantee any specific start date. Please note that during the first 16 weeks of training you will not be able to take any annual leave.

Diversity Statement

We are committed to being an anti-racist police service. We promise to challenge injustice, ensure fairness and to uphold anti-racist principles in both our organisation and our communities. We value the differences that people bring from all backgrounds and communities. Regardless of age, sex, ethnicity, sexual orientation, gender identity or gender expression, disability, social status, or religious belief, we would love to hear from you.

Additional Information

Following submission of your application you will receive a confirmation email with a copy of your application attached. Occasionally emails from this address can fall into spam/junk folders so please ensure this is checked regularly.