Police Officer - Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP)
The Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP) offers a comprehensive programme of training, which takes two years to complete. You will undertake a period of initial learning across 24 weeks at our Training Centres in Sulhamstead and Kidlington, before moving to your designated Local Policing Area (LPA) for further operational coaching and tutoring. On this entry programme there will be no academic assessment and your training will not include academic accreditation. Once you have successfully completed your two-years’ probation on the PCEP you will be a substantive Police Constable and able to consider a wide-range of opportunities for progression and specialism within the Force.
The starting salary for all new recruits is £31,551 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance). On the current system, officers can expect to be earning a salary in excess of £49,000 per annum by your seventh year in the job.
This opportunity is open to all candidates over the age of 17 who meet the eligibility criteria but who do not wish to work towards academic qualifications in tandem with becoming a police officer.
All applicants must meet the following criteria:
Age - be at least 17 years of age upon application but must be 18 years of age by your first day in the role, there is no upper age limit
Citizenship - be a British citizen, an EC/EEA national with Pre-Settled/Settled status, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with Indefinite Leave to Remain and no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom
Residency - have been a UK resident for the last 3 years
Qualifications/Experience - have achieved English GCSE (A*-C/9-4) or an equivalent Level 2 qualification (e.g. Functional Skills, O-Level or CSE Grade 1) and two A-Levels (A-E) or equivalent, OR relevant professional experience. If you don't have A-Levels but do have at least one year of professional experience working in areas such as those below, we encourage you to apply. Note that this is not an exhaustive list and all previous experience will be assessed on a case-by-case basis.
- armed forces
- border force
- criminal justice sector/CPS/courts
- cyber/digital and financial fraud crimes
- emergency services
- health and social care sectors
- justice and law enforcement sectors
- police staff, particularly custody, public contact/demand hub/enquiry office roles and investigative roles
- PCSO or Special Constable
- prison service
- professional services/project management
- teaching
- youth work
Driving licence - hold a full manual UK or EU driving licence by the time of formal offer
Health - be in good health and able to physically and mentally perform your duties
Tattoos/piercings - not have any piercings or tattoos which cause offence
Location - live within 30 crow miles, 40 road miles and a 1 hour commute of two of our main police stations by formal offer of appointment. A degree of flexibility is expected in terms of postings, as we may be required to post to locations within policy parameters if organisational need dictates this.
Application Process
- Self-assessment questionnaire – we encourage all applicants to self-assess your eligibility prior to applying
- Application – see ‘Be prepared to apply’ page on our website
- National Sift (online)
- Eligibility checking
- Online Assessment Centre (OAC)
- Provisional offer
- Pre-employment checks including interview, fitness test/assessment, medical, references and vetting
- Start date – June 2024 onwards
Thames Valley Police continues to offer other police officer entry programmes for those that do wish to gain academic accreditation alongside their operational training, including the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) for those who wish to gain a degree qualification as they learn and the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) for those who hold a degree already.
Visit www.tvpcareers.co.uk/police-officer to find out more.
Be the difference you want to see. At Thames Valley Police, we are committed to better reflect the communities that we serve. We encourage applications from our under represented communities including all ethnic or religious backgrounds, LGBTQ+ and women.
Our Positive Action and Engagement Team provide support and guidance to anyone from an ethnically diverse background throughout the police officer recruitment process as well as advice on career development and progression. They can be contacted via: positiveactionteam@thamesvalley.police.uk