The National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Association of Police and Crime Commissioners (APCC) Policing Vision 2025 aims that “By 2025 policing will be a profession with a more representative workforce that will align the right skills, powers and experience to meet challenging requirements.”
The Police Constable Entry Programmes support this vision for policing and is a new, professional framework for the training of police officers and staff.
Based upon modern curricula aligned with the education levels set in England and Wales, this framework will over time cover the range of professional training for police officers through the ranks of constable through to chief officer. It will also encompass many police staff, police community support officers (PCSO) and special constables.
One of the fundamental requirements of a profession is the basis on which practitioners (officers and staff) are allowed to exercise a high degree of individual autonomy and independence of judgement.
The criteria which define professional discretion vary, but common core elements are:
The PCER provides graduates with these qualities.
At ARU we have partnered with the Metropolitan Police Service and the 7 Forces in the East of England to provide three new PCER entry routes into policing; the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) and Detective Degree Holder Entry Programme (DDHEP).