Police officer roles
Keeping you informed
Throughout the recruitment process, we will send you a number of communications by email – please ensure you check your junk/spam folders on a regular basis and add [email protected] to your address book to guarantee you do not miss anything.
As you move through the application process, there may be times when you do not hear from us. Please don’t worry, this is completely normal. Our team is reviewing your application and will be in touch as soon as we need anything from you or have an update to share.
Entry routes into policing
You can apply to join us as either as a police constable (PC) or on the detective pathway. While both roles are similar, detectives have different duties and receive extra training and additional exams.
- police constable: you’ll have a front-line role preventing and detecting crime, patrolling, responding to emergency calls and engaging with the community
- detective pathway: you’ll receive the same training as a PC for the first year, plus specialist investigative training in year two. You’ll lead investigations into serious and complex cases like serious assaults, robbery and domestic abuse
When deciding to join, think about whether you want to start as a PC or join the detective pathway. If you start on the detective programme and later want to switch to a PC, you'll need to formally apply to change roles. If you are still in application stage and wish to change paths, you will need to reapply and start over.
You don’t need a degree to join, but we do require a certain level of education or equivalent work experience.
Choosing the right path into policing can be challenging. To help you decide, we've created a table that compares the two routes.
Experienced officer opportunities
