Professional Policing Degree (PPD) Programme

PPD – Professional Policing Degree.

The degree in professional policing is a professional academic knowledge-based degree, based on the national curriculum for the police constable role.  It provides you with an entry route into policing if you choose to study before you apply to join a police force. You need to complete the degree or be due to complete the degree this year before applying to join Avon and Somerset as a Police Officer. 

The application of education received during the degree is put into practice and assessed during probation. If you wish to use the degree in professional policing as your entry route to the police service, you must apply to join a police force within five years of your graduation.

Come and join us

We’re excited to offer the opportunity to join our growing organisation in a career that enables you to make a difference in your community as a police officer.

You will use the academic knowledge you have gained whilst completing your degree in Professional Policing alongside the training you will receive at Police Headquarters during your induction period to become a fully operational police officer over a period of 2 years. 

Whether you have completed a Degree in Professional Policing within the last 5 years or are in your final year of University and have your predicted grades you may be eligible to apply. 

If you hold a degree in any subject other than the Degree in Professional Policing you may be eligible to join via the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) - Detective Degree Holder Entry Programme | Avon and Somerset Police

If you do not hold a degree then you may be eligible to join via the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) which is currently OPEN for recruitment - Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship | Avon and Somerset Police

The role

As a police officer, you will be delivering the highest level of service to our communities. You will make a tangible difference in our communities by providing care and reassurance to people on what might feel like the worst day of their lives and many will look to you for guidance and protection.

Our police officers come from a variety of backgrounds and come together with a shared goal to make the lives of those within our communities safer. We are looking for individuals who are able to think clearly in sometimes stressful and emotionally charged situations, have genuine compassion and empathy to support victims of crime and the passion to serve our communities every single day.

You will demonstrate excellent communication skills to be able to engage with individuals across a wide range of situations and from all backgrounds and you will be committed to delivering the best service possible.

You will work alongside a team of multi-skilled professionals with a shared enthusiasm for delivering results. Police Officers are first-responders to emergency incidents where you will support victims of a number of different crime types, including road traffic collisions, domestic abuse and anti-social behaviour – sometimes all in one shift.

The programme

You will be appointed as a police officer from your first day.  In your first 9 weeks, you will undertake personal protection training, driver training, system training and additional classroom learning whilst based at Police HQ in Portishead. 

After this initial period, you will enter into tutorship working with a 24/7 response team to put your acquired skills and knowledge into practice in order to achieve Independent patrol status (If you have already achieved this by serving as a Special Constable you will receive coaching and mentoring on your team).

You will then follow a programme to achieve full occupational competence over a two-year probation period.  After your 8 weeks of training you will be placed into Patrol in the response directorate. You will be required to work a shift pattern including days, evenings, nights and weekend shifts. Working alongside your team you’ll receive support and guidance from a professional mentor.

You will be paid a starting salary of £26,682 rising to £43,032 at the top of the scale (circa 6 years’ service). You will also have access to a wide range of generous benefits including the Police Pension Scheme (2015), shift allowances, company laptop and mobile phone, insurance schemes and substantial holiday entitlement to name a few. 

Please see below an extract from a blog written by one of our officers who joined Avon and Somerset via the first PPD Cohort in 2022

" I chose to apply for Avon and Somerset originally because it is my home force, and I am familiar with the area. More so I had previous experience with Avon and Somerset constabulary, through the Volunteer Police Cadet programme. My time in the force as a cadet was incredibly enjoyable and educative and the officers and staff, I met along the way were all extremely welcoming and willing to dedicate their time to making my experience enjoyable.  I have recently joined the force as a full time PC, via the first cohort of PPD officers.  My experience on this occasion has been very much the same! 

I was warmly welcomed onto my team on district and have had some great experiences already! The job can be tough, but my team have genuinely stood by me and encouraged me to be the best police officer I can be. The sense of joining a team was discussed with positivity during training school, however I have found it is very much like joining a family. I was accepted as part of the team with no questions asked and my colleagues don’t hesitate to drop everything to assist me, should I need more units in the field. As I have joined the force as a part of the first cohort of PPD, this route of entry is not widely known about yet, but my colleagues and supervisors have been more than willing to ask questions and learn about it, in order to be able to support me better.

I would encourage anybody who was thinking of joining via this route, to jump at the opportunity and enjoy the experience to its fullest!"

If your application is successful, you will be required to attend a compulsory familiarisation event which shall be held on 24th July 2023 

Virtual assessment centre will be held week commencing 5th September 2023

In force interviews will be held week commencing 18th September 2023

Course places are allocated in accordance with operational demand at the time of appointment.  All new officers will be posted within our guidelines and may be posted anywhere within the force area.

To be eligible to apply for this role you must have a 3 year checkable history in the UK. This means that you would have been resident in the UK continuously for the last 3 years.

PLEASE NOTE - The application form will ask if you if you hold a degree in any subject other than Professional Policing.  Please ignore this and select YES.  If you already hold a Degree in Professional Policing please ensure you upload your certificate.  If you are in your final year please upload a document just stating when you are due to graduate as it will not allow you to continue without an attachment.

To meet the qualification eligibility criteria you must hold or be due to graduate with a Degree in Professional Policing.  This programme is specifically designed around candidates who already hold that degree and the knowledge from it.  Unfortunately, alternative degrees will not be considered for this entry route.