Police Officer - Professional Policing Degree (PC-PPD)

If you already hold the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) or are in the final year of your study then this is the entry route for you.

The PPD entry route is a two-year work-based programme. You will undertake a period of initial learning of 12-14 weeks at our training centre in Sulhamstead or Kidlington, before moving to your designated Local Policing Area for further operational coaching and tutoring.

You will undertake training in areas critical to effective 21st century policing, such as evidence-based policing, decision-making and discretion, risk and public protection and criminality and crime prevention.

Once you have successfully passed your two year probation you will be able to consider further opportunities of progression and specialism within the force.

This programme offers a fantastic opportunity for you to continue to learn beyond your initial degree, whilst earning a salary as a fully warranted police officer from day one.

The starting salary for all new recruits is £32,907 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance). On the current system officers can expect to be earning a salary in excess of £51,000 per annum by your seventh year in the job.

Start date: Autumn 2025

Eligibility

All applicants must meet the following criteria:

be at least 17 years of age upon application but must be 18 years of age by your first day in the role
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 three years
have completed the Professional Policing Degree or be in the final year of study
apply within five years of your graduation date
hold a full manual UK driving licence by the time of formal offer
not have served any time in prison or youth detention (if you have a criminal conviction, it may lead to your application being rejected – we will take into account the date, nature of offence plus evidence of good character since the offence)
be in good health and able to physically and mentally perform your duties
not have any piercings or tattoos which could cause offence
live within 30 crow miles 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 forced to post to locations within policy parameters if organisational need dictates this.

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 underrepresented 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 advise on career development and progression. They can be contacted via: positiveactionteam@thamesvalley.police.uk