Police Officer (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship)

Police Officer (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship)

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 on one of our Patrol teams.

As a police officer, you will be delivering the highest level of service to our communities. You will be able to make a difference in our communities, making it a safer and happier place for the people you serve. You will provide 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.

Whether you have just finished education or thinking about a change of career, we are looking for talented, passionate people who come from a variety of backgrounds. 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 a desire 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. Our patrol 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. 

You will be appointed as a police officer from your first day. The learning programme lasts for 3 years. The first 12 weeks of your course you will be training with our Learning team and the University of West of England. After your 12 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.

Throughout the apprenticeship you will receive a dedicated learning package to help you develop in your professional practice. The learning programme is delivered alongside working as an operational police officer. You will be allocated protected learning time for academic study, ‘on the job’ learning and self-directed study. At the end of the programme you will achieve a fully-funded, BSc degree in Professional Policing Practice.

You will be paid while you learn and start on a salary of £28,551 rising to £30,957 by the completion of the training course. In addition to a fully-funded degree, you will have access to a wide range of generous benefits including the Police Pension Scheme (2015), shift allowances, company laptop and mobile phone, supported continued personal development, Employee Assistance scheme offering help through counselling services, legal advice, fitness advice, personal coaching and health assessment.

You will be classed as a full-time student and will also be able to take advantage of student benefits, as well as the Blue Light Card which gives you money off in high street shops and restaurants, holiday savings and offers for a wide range of business services online.

We also have a number of staff associations, who provide support, information and guidance to staff and officers who come from diverse or under represented backgrounds and communities, different faiths or have protected characteristics. 

If you are looking to apply and have a neuro diverse condition or disability, please contact Talentpoliceofficer@avonandsomerset.police.uk as we maybe able to offer you reasonable adjustments through your recruitment journey and potential career. 

This is a very competitive process therefore the application window may close early if we feel we have enough successful applications submitted. We encourage you to submit your application as soon as possible to avoid disappointment.

If your application is successful, you will be required to attend a compulsory familiarisation event this may be either in person or virtually. 

Following your attendance to this event, you will be required to register on the Candidate Assessment portal. Once registered you will be sent a link to complete the National sift exercise from the College of Policing. This must be completed within 7 days and you will be required to pass this stage in order for your application to be progressed. 

The next stage will then be the virtual assessment centre which will commence on 5th April 2024-If you have submitted an application after 18th March, you will be attending the virtual assessment at a later date. 

Course places are allocated in accordance with operational demand at the time of appointment. 

• Please ensure that you check all the eligibility criteria, as this has recently been updated. (Link Below) For this campaign we are accepting applications from candidates who hold a provisional driving license. Please note Full driving licenses will need to be obtained by August 2024. If you are unlikely to obtain a Full licence by August 2024, your application will not be accepted.
• Should you have any query regarding your driving license status and the eligibility to apply using this e.g. it is not a UK license, then please contact the team before applying so they can advise Talentpoliceofficer@avonandsomerset.police.uk 

Find out more about the PCDA programme. 

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.

Does this sound like the role for you? Click the link below to apply.