Police Officer – Pre-join programme for those with a degree in professional policing Birmingham, England
Job description
This is the right route for you if you have achieved, or are in your final year, of the degree in professional policing that has been licenced and validated by the College of Policing. A full list of the universities offering this programme can be found here; only students or graduates of this course are able to apply for this route.
With a starting salary of £26,682; assuming satisfactory performance, it will rise to £27,804 in your second year and £28,932 in your third. Plus there is a large variety of benefits, staff associations, social clubs and a pension to consider.
As a Police Officer you'll play a vital role in ensuring that the communities of the West Midlands are kept safe. It isn’t easy but it is rewarding and can be a career like no other. We want people to join us who have a range of life experiences and backgrounds; it is vitally important that we represent all of the communities that we serve.
About the pre-join entry route for graduates of the professional policing degree
Your degree will have taught you plenty about policing but the next step is where we bring that theory to life.
Your formal training will take place alongside your practical work in one of our many policing teams across the West Midlands. After an initial training period, you’ll get your uniform, join a team, and begin two years of practical learning that will shape your police career.
The professional policing degree that you have completed is based upon the national curriculum for the Police Constable role, therefore applicants on this entry route will enjoy a shorter ‘on-the-job’ practical training programme that will help you to become a great officer.
Policing as a career is challenging; it requires and demands skill, responsibility, leadership, initiative and a genuine desire to make a difference to society. Here at West Midlands Police it’s no different. We receive thousands of calls from people needing our support every single day and we work hard to prevent crime, protect the public and help those in need.
Application process
This is your first step in the process, once your application is submitted an initial eligibility check will be completed by our recruitment team followed by:
- Online National Assessment Centre during 2022
- Pre-offer checks including security vetting, medical and fitness
- Knowledge check exercise related to your degree learning
If all goes well with the above it is anticipated you'll join us in January 2023 (start dates are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances).
Working in the West Midlands
West Midlands Police offers a fairly unique environment to begin your police career. We offer big cities and busy, diverse communities. We have lots of major events taking place that we need to support, such as Premier League and Football League matches, county and international cricket and major concerts. We’re currently supporting the delivery of City of Culture events in Coventry and the next year will see us host people from across the world when the Commonwealth Games come to Birmingham. It’s an exciting place to be.
If you don’t already know, Birmingham is the youngest city in Europe and the average cost of homes is significantly lower than the national average. It’s a great place to work, offering the excitement and business of the big city and diverse urban communities, but the West Midlands also has plenty of quiet, residential and green spaces to chill and relax.
Am I eligible?
The people of the West Midlands deserve an excellent service so we are looking for the best people to join us and demonstrate our values. But there’s some formal stuff you’ll need to have too, to make sure you meet nationally set eligibility criteria.
In summary:
Academic Qualifications -
To be eligible for this route you will have achieved the professional policing degree from a university that has been licensed and validated by the College of Policing; or be due to graduate from this course in summer 2022.
When you apply for the role you must attach a copy of your degree certificate or a letter / statement from your university confirming you are due to graduate in summer 2022 with a degree in professional policing from a College of Policing licenced and validated university. If you are applying before you have graduated you will of course need to provide evidence that you have passed and completed the course before you’re formally offered a start date.
Age - How old you are doesn’t determine whether you’ll be a great officer, so we are happy to receive applications from people aged 17 or above. Please note you cannot start as a Police Officer until you are 18.
Nationality - You must be a British Citizen, European Economic Area (EEA) National, a Commonwealth Citizen or Foreign National with no restrictions on your stay in the UK.
Residency - Have been resident in the UK for three years immediately prior to application. Where applicants have been resident abroad due to serving in the British Armed Forces or on UK Government Service, they are considered to have been resident in the UK.
Cautions and conviction - Ideally, you shouldn't have a criminal conviction or cautions record. If you do have one, acceptance will depend on the age and nature of the offence. We are unable to state whether your convictions record will affect your application before you apply. This will be determined from the full and confidential information provided during the recruitment and selection process.
Vetting - Due to the nature of policing, it’s essential that we conduct rigorous vetting checks on successful applicants before they can join the programme. These checks will include personal details taken from you as well as from close family members and significant others.
Financial position - It's important that you are not under pressure from un-discharged debts or liabilities and that you can manage loans and debts sensibly.
Tattoos - We know some people like to express themselves with body art, however anyone who has a tattoo and / or piercing which could be reasonably interpreted as offensive to any religion or belief, or is in any way discriminatory, violent or intimidating, will not be accepted. In line with the College of Policing’s national guidance we will carefully consider the size, nature and prominence of visible tattoos and piercings to determine if they are acceptable.
National Sift - If eligible to apply, you will be sent an automated invitation email for you to complete an online National Sift process involving two exercises:
- Situational judgement test (SJT)
- Behavioural style questionnaire (BSQ)
You will have 7 days to complete the exercises. These can be completed in any order you prefer, and at any time of day, 24/7, during that time.
Reasonable Adjustments: The national sift is not timed, therefore no reasonable adjustments are required. It is automatically compatible with text to speech software, changes to background colour and coloured overlays.
As detailed here, the process to become a police officer is fairly long and challenging compared to some other jobs. But, it takes time to make sure we are getting the best people who are capable of delivering a police service we can all be proud of.
Start dates and annual leave:
For those applying now, we anticipate a single intake with a start date during January 2023. Due to the nature of the role and your training programme, during the first 31 weeks you will only be able to take 2 weeks annual leave and these will be allotted to you. We cannot guarantee annual leave requests will be approved outside of this time. On your application we ask you to let us know if you have any pre-booked annual leave as this may affect when you’re able to start.
Start dates are subject to change due to unforeseen circumstances.
Please visit https://jobs.west-midlands.police.uk/police-officer-recruitment to view more about the opportunity, support available to applicants, the full eligibility criteria and the information and documentation you’ll need to hand when you apply.
Once you begin your application, please complete and submit within 10 days.
West Midlands Police is a Disability Confident Leader - the highest level an organisation can achieve under the scheme run by the Department of Work and Pensions. As part of our commitment we operate a Guaranteed Interview Scheme – all candidates who declare a disability and meet the essential criteria for the role will be invited to the Online Assessment Centre.
Diversity and Inclusion Vision: “Maximise the potential of people from all backgrounds through a culture of fairness and inclusion to deliver the best service for our communities”
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