Undergraduate: BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice Police Constable
Become a police officer
The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship combines on the job learning with working towards a fully funded degree, all while earning a competitive salary and making a difference to East of England communities. You’ll be a police officer from the day you join - embarking on an exciting career in policing like no other.
Apprenticeship highlights
- Become a police officer with your chosen East of England police force
- A real job with hands-on experience, combining practical on-the-job training with academic learning
- Study while you work, with no tuition fees
- Provides the foundation for an exciting and varied policing career
Upon successful completion of the recruitment process, frequent start dates are available. Most of your training will take place on the job with one of the East of England police forces including; Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Essex, Hertfordshire, Kent, Norfolk and Suffolk. You’ll work alongside experienced police officers with work-based study and attendance at regional police training centres.
Make your difference
Joining the police is life-changing. Not just for you, it will also change the lives of everyone you help. It's a challenging, varied and intensely rewarding career and you will be joining an amazing team, working together to reduce crime and keep people safe.
PCDA frequently asked questionsKey facts
What our apprentices say
Grace
“The apprenticeship pushes my knowledge and makes me think deeper into why people commit crime and the positive impact I can have on my community.“
GracePolice Constable
Ben
“If I was to describe my apprenticeship journey in three words, it would be fun, challenging and rewarding.”
BenPolice Constable
Careers
Joining the police offers a wealth of exciting and rewarding experiences and career opportunities. Supporting local communities, tackling crime and safeguarding the most vulnerable people in society – no two days are the same. The PCDA provides the foundation for an exciting and varied policing career.
You’ll start your training with an initial period of classroom-based learning at a study centre in your region and join an operational policing team in which you will be working.
Your learning will cover a wide range of policing topics including officer safety training, emergency life support, safeguarding, crime investigation and operational policing skills (based on a national policing curriculum).
Throughout your training you’ll undertake work-based learning, where you’ll be fully supported in applying new skills and knowledge as part of your operational duties. You’ll be immersed in day-to-day policing. This will let you contextualise what you are learning and enable you to develop the skills and experience you need for this challenging role, while actively contributing to policing priorities in your area as a fully employed police officer from day one.
Your training will also include officer safety and emergency life support skills to fully prepare you for your operational role.
Assessment
You’ll need to successfully complete both operational and academic assessments before being awarded a degree and becoming a fully-fledged police officer. All assessments have been specifically designed to test the skills, knowledge and qualities required to be an officer.
You will have to complete a number of different assessments throughout the course, including written reflective reports and essays, exams, presentations (both group and individual) and digital artefacts (e.g. a case study blog or podcast). Alongside academic assessments, you will also need to compile an Operational Competence Portfolio over the duration of the apprenticeship and pass a number of operational assessments against a range of critical policing skills, including; providing effective initial response to a critical incident, engaging proactively with communities, conducting effective evaluation of intelligence and providing support to vulnerable people, victims and witnesses.
In your final year, you will be required to complete the End Point Assessment, which will be made up of the following:
- a professional discussion based on your Operational Competence Portfolio
- a 10,000-word research project based on your policing specialism
- a presentation and Assessment Panel discussion.
You will also be required to evidence operational competence in several areas, such as:
- providing effective initial response to a critical incident engaging proactively with communities conducting effective evaluations of intelligence.
In successfully obtaining the apprenticeship and its associated degree you will need to provide satisfactory evidence that you have achieved the necessary knowledge, skills and behaviours (KSB) set out in the apprenticeship standard. Further information about the KSBs can be found at the Institute of Apprenticeships website .
Entry requirements
You will need 2 A-Levels or equivalent.
If you would like to complete the PCDA but do not meet these requirements, your education and work experience may be considered, in particular experience as a Special, PCSO, Police Staff or a member of the Armed Forces. Please refer to the local force recruitment website for more details.
Applicants will have to meet the eligibility for becoming a police officer and pass the Police SEARCH® Recruit Assessment Centre. See the College of Policing website for more information.
For the complete entry requirements including age and residency requirements, please refer to the local force web pages for latest details.