Police Officer - Detective Constable Entry Programme (DCEP)

What you can expect from the DCEP

From day one of your training you are a warranted officer and on successful completion of the programme and your probation, you will be a substantive Detective Constable.

A two-year entry route into an investigative career that combines on-the-job practical learning and operational competence.

As a Detective, you will be involved in handling serious and complex investigations, motivated by the desire to do the right thing and bring justice to victims.

Your work will be demanding but rewarding, requiring strong problem-solving skills, effective communication, patience, attention to detail, and a commitment to serving the community and ensuring public safety.

Most importantly, teamwork will be a key part of your day-to-day job, working collaboratively with social care, health teams and schools, working alongside your uniformed colleagues to build the strongest cases.

Programme outline

Year one: A blended learning programme delivered by TVP with six months initial learning based at our Training Centre in Sulhamstead near Reading or Kidlington. This is followed by 16 weeks with an Incident and Crime Response Team (ICR), in uniform and working the ICR shift pattern, during which time you will be partnered with a tutor constable. Following this, student officers will go straight into a detective role within their designated investigation team (Priority Crime Team, Criminal Investigation Department or Domestic Abuse Investigation Unit) where further tutoring and operational work-based learning will take place. In year one, operational training will include officer safety training, making an arrest and how to conduct a stop and search, amongst other things. During year one, student DC’s will also apply for and take the National Investigators’ Exam (NIE).

Year two: During the second year of the programme you will undertake two further periods of training:

Serious and Complex Crime Interviewing (SACCI): a two-week course which delivers the foundations to empower participants to understand the theory and develop the practical skills to undertake witness & suspect interviews for serious and complex criminal investigations.
Investigators’ Development Programme (IDP): a four-week course which equips investigators with the knowledge, skills and processes associated with serious and complex investigations.

Following these courses you will begin working towards the completion of your Level 2 Professionalising Investigation Programme qualification (PIP2 Portfolio).

Having completed the DCEP programme and requisite portfolios you become an accredited DC and a whole world of roles and opportunities opens up within some of our specialist investigative teams.

Remuneration

Starting salary of £32,907 (inclusive of a £3,000 South-East living allowance)

Application process

Typically the process from application through to start date can take around 9-12 months:

Self-assessment form – we recommend that all potential applicants self-assess their eligibility prior to applying
Application
National Sift (online)
Eligibility checking (e.g. educational certifications, residency compliance, tattoo policy etc.)
Online Assessment Centre (OAC) - important note: due to the popularity of this entry route and the demands of the training, TVP requires a higher pass mark at the OAC for the DC entry route. If the higher mark is not reached then we will offer to move your application to the PC route.
An in-person interview led by a TVP Senior Detective and including an additional assessment based on the skills required to be a detective.
Provisional offer
Pre-employment checks including fitness test, medical, references and vetting
Attendance at an Induction Weekend
Formal offer including written confirmation of posting and start date

Eligibility – to apply for a role as a Police Officer via the DCEP you must:

Age - be at least 17 years of age on application and be 18 years of age when you join. There is no upper age limit
Citizenship– be a British citizen, or an EU/EEA national, Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with Indefinite Leave to Remain or Pre-Settled/Settled status and no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom
Education –must have GCSE English (A*-C/4-9) or equivalent 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 certain areas you may still b able to apply. See our careers site for a fuller list of previous experience that may qualify.
Drivers Licence - have a full manual UK driving licence before receiving a formal offer of appointment.
Criminal Record - not have served any period of imprisonment or youth detention. If you have a criminal record or conviction, it may lead to your application being rejected. We will take into account factors including the date and nature of the offence, plus evidence of good character since the offence.
Health - be in good health and able to physically and mentally perform the duties of a Police Officer once appointed.
Personal - not have any piercings or tattoos which could cause offence.
Previous application- not have applied unsuccessfully to any Home Office Force within the past six months.
Location - live within 30 crow miles, 40 road miles and 1 hour commute from 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.
TVP applicants– those currently working as a PCSO, Detention Officer or a Contact Management Call Handler must have been in their role for 12 months before applying.

You can expect to start with us on an intake in August 2025.

Benefits

Police Officers and Police Staff have access to a fantastic range of benefits, dependent on role, location and length of service. To view a full list of our benefits please click here

Important

All posts require a level of Police Vetting as per the National Vetting Code of Practice. The residency requirement is necessary to enable all applicants to be checked in an equitable manner. Thames Valley Police will allow applicants to apply who do not necessarily reach the criteria as long as they have proven UK residency and supporting evidence where necessary. Applications will be considered on a case by case basis.

Thames Valley Police serves diverse communities; to truly reflect this, we are keen to recruit people from Black, Asian and other minority backgrounds. We value the knowledge and experiences that individuals bring from different cultures and welcome any contributions that can enhance the services we deliver to the public.

We believe in investing in all of our people, and run tailored Positive Action Initiatives to support our colleagues from underrepresented backgrounds in their personal and professional development, ensuring everyone has a level playing field to succeed, progress and feel fulfilled in their careers.