A career in the police offers an exciting mix of challenge and reward. Policing in today's police service involves reducing crime and the fear of crime, working in partnership with the public, supporting victims and witnesses whilst using the latest technology to assist with the detection and prevention of crime.
The challenges faced by police officers are often mental rather than physical, requiring an understanding of what makes people behave as they do, and to use that knowledge to develop strong policing skills. The modern police force offers a career with many opportunities to specialise in fields from intelligence to investigation.
There are great prospects to move up the career ladder into senior leadership positions. A Cambridge graduate, now a Chief Inspector, said of his decision to become a police officer that when he told his peers he was joining the police it was a conversation stopper, when he sees them now it is a conversation starter.
Graduates who have secured employment as a police officer with one of the forces in England, Wales or Northern Ireland are eligible to apply for the High Potential Development Scheme (HPDS). The HPDS aims to produce a cohort of officers who possess the operational credibility, management skills and strategic awareness to meet the challenges of senior police leadership. The HPDS is delivered in partnership with Warwick University and leads to a Masters Degree in Police Leadership.
Joining the police offers a starting salary of £24,675 p.a. on completion of initial training (additional allowances for officers in London and the South East) and an excellent pensions and benefits package.