Police Officer - Detective Student Officer Programme (PCDA)

Join West Mercia Police and become a detective

Working as a Detective Constable is one of the most demanding, but also rewarding roles in Policing. As a detective, you will make West Mercia a safer place to live and work, protecting people from harm and providing the best outcomes for victims and their families

Detective Constables and Police Constables have the same rank but undertake different operational roles. As a detective you will deal with some of the most serious and complex crimes, working on a variety of investigations including robbery, serious assaults, fraud and domestic abuse

Your role with be to uncover the truth in the cases you investigate. You will analyse evidence, speak with witness and suspects and have the compassion and communication skills to deal with some very challenging situations

What does the learning involve?

The West Mercia Detective Student Officer Programme provides candidates with the opportunity to gain the knowledge and experience necessary to become a competent Police Officer before specialising in CID.

Following your foundation learning as an Apprentice on the PCDA you will join your new colleagues at a local police station to respond to incidents, investigate crime, take part in community engagement and help problem solve some of the biggest challenges our communities face

In your final year of your course, you will specialise in Advanced Investigations, Intelligence and Information, working alongside CID colleagues on serious and complex criminal investigations to gain an understanding of the critical role Detectives play in protecting people from harm

Once you have successfully completed your qualification you will be posted as a Detective Constable and undertake the rest of your training that will enable you to become a fully accredited Detective.

If you are passionate about protecting people from harm and want to work in a demanding but rewarding profession our Detective Student Officer Programme could be just right for you

How to Apply

We have set out the application process in the links below, as well as how we can support you through your application. Our Becoming a police officer - recruitment process YouTube playlist contains a selection of videos to offer you advice and guidance on what to expect from the recruitment process when applying to become a police officer.

Please add BOC.Officer.Recruitment@westmercia.police.uk to your email address book and make sure you check your Junk / Spam folders regularly to make sure you don't miss any of our future correspondences.

Before you start to complete the application form, we would suggest that you read the information in the supporting documents.

We look forward to receiving your completed application.

To begin your Detective Student Officer Programme application, please click the APPLY button below