Police Officer

Policing really is a job like no other.

But what is ‘the job’?

It’s much more than blue lights and fast cars. It’s protecting the vulnerable when they need you most. It’s working in partnership to tackle serious and organised crime and it’s making critical decisions that will change lives forever. You will investigate a wide range of crimes such as burglaries and assaults, going that extra mile to ensure the best chance of securing a conviction.

Policing the Thames Valley 24/7, 365, is both challenging and rewarding. You’ll be tested, more so than you have before – resilience is key, alongside your ability to empathise, listen and communicate.

It’s a position of responsibility, of trust, of purpose. Above all, it’s working as part of a family, a policing family. A team that pulls together as one, rising to the challenge every single day.

This is the job

Response Policing

On entering public service all student officers will spend either their whole probation or a portion of it (depending on entry route) working in uniform on response, which is simply that, responding to calls from the public. Many enjoy this unpredictable aspect of policing, there is much police ‘craft’ to be learned as no two situations you attend will ever be the same. It is important to emphasise that we serve a 24/7 economy, so that means shift working. A typical pattern on response would be two earlies (am start), two lates (pm start) and two night shifts (evening start) followed by four rest days. Crime doesn’t clock on and off though, so you need to be prepared for shifts over weekends, shifts that run over or last minute duty changes. This can be disruptive to family and social lives, but it is something we accept as part of the commitment we make to keep our communities safe.

Why join TVP?

We believe it’s important that our officers and staff are supported to be the best they can be. Whether that’s through additional learning, support when things get tough or through discounts to enjoy with family and friends away from the workplace – your wellbeing will always be a priority.

Here are some of the reasons you should join the TVP family:

  • The starting salary for all new recruits is £31,551 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance). On the current system, after seven years of service the salary will be in excess of £49,044 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance);
  • from 1 November 2022 military Veterans transitioning into a policing career with TVP will be supported with an additional, one-off resettlement payment of £2,500 paid into their first month’s pay. For details on eligibility and expectations relating to this payment, see our Military Resettlement page;
  • additional benefits including pension scheme and annual holiday entitlement;
  • wide range of discounts for retailers, restaurants, travel, tickets and more available via our TVP Reward mobile benefits app plus eligibility for Blue Light Card membership;
  • discounts available to student officers on PCDA and DHEP entry routes via Apprenticeship Extra card and TOTUM card respectively;
  • wide ranging career prospects including opportunities for promotion and specialisation including: Public Order, Taser, Detectives, Major Crime, Digital Investigation, Counter Terrorism, Firearms and Roads Policing;
  • a focus on your continuous professional development which includes a structured Performance Development Review;
  • our ‘Support for Study’ scheme ensures you have the opportunity to gain additional accreditation and qualifications;
  • a well-established Wellbeing function ensures you receive the support you need when you need it, including support for your Mental & Physical Wellbeing, Financial Wellbeing, Leadership Wellbeing and Health & Safety at work;
  • A wealth of support services are available through membership of the Police Federation (link to tvpfed.org website please here)
  • a variety of Peer Support, Staff Support Networks and Buddy Groups including: Support Association for Minority Ethnic Staff, Disability Support Network, Women’s Network, Gypsy Roma Traveller Police Association, Muslim Police Association, Christian Police Association and Men’s Forum.

Find out more about how we could be supporting you and how we value difference at TVP.

Entry Routes

Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP):  Accepting applications now.

This is our main entry route into policing as a Police Constable, offering the core foundation for any further career progressions in policing. Whether you’re a natural problem-solver, a champion for the vulnerable, or someone who thrives in fast-paced situations, TVP has a place for you.

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 £49,044 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance) 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.

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; there is no upper age limit
  • be a British citizen, or an EU/European Economic Area (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
  • residency – have been a UK resident for the last three years
  • You must 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
  • hold a full manual UK or EU 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/40 road miles/ 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 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

Application Process

  1. Self-assessment questionnaire – we encourage all applicants to self-assess your eligibility prior to applying
  2. Application including proof of eligibility – be prepared to apply
  3. Online assessment process – National Sift – taking approx 1 hour to complete
  4. Online assessment centre – Interview/Written – taking approx. 3 hours to complete
  5. Provisional offer
  6. Pre-employment checks including fitness test, medical, references and vetting
  7. Start date – May 2024 onwards

Apply

Professional Policing Degree (PPD): Accepting applications now.

If you already hold a 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 14 weeks at TVP’s Training Centre in Sulhamstead, Reading or HQ North, 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 £31,551 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance). On the current system, officers can expect to be earning a salary in excess of £49,044 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance) by your seventh year in the job.

The next cohort of 20 officers will start in November 2024.

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, or an EU/European Economic Area (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
  • residency – have been a UK resident for the last three years
  • have achieved 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 or EU 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

Application Process

  1. Self-assessment questionnaire – we encourage all applicants to self-assess your eligibility prior to applying
  2. Online assessment process – National Sift – taking approx 1 hour to complete
  3. Application including proof of eligibility – be prepared to apply
  4. Online assessment centre – Interview/Written – taking approx. 3 hours to complete
  5. Provisional offer
  6. Pre-employment checks including fitness test, medical, references and vetting
  7. Start date – November 2024

Apply

Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA): Applications closed. Register your interest for future recruitment

Open to anyone between the ages of 18-55 who meets the eligibility requirements, the PCDA is a three-year programme combining operational duties with academic learning, resulting in formal degree qualification.

Not only does the PCDA pathway provide unrivalled training and job security, you will earn whilst you learn, with no student fees to repay. 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.

Unlike a traditional degree course, the majority of time for new apprentice recruits will be in force on frontline duties in the same way probationers work now.

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 £49,044 (which includes £3,000 South-East allowance) by your seventh year in the job.

If you do not already hold a degree and are looking for a career that offers first-class training, continuous development, unrivalled variety and unique challenges, the PCDA is the route for you.

Blog: New joiners Cath and Josh talk Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

Programme outline

View the PCDA programme outline – please note that Thames Valley Police is currently working to ensure that all our documents fully meet all accessibility requirements.

Year one: A blended learning programme delivered by TVP and Bucks New University with initial learning based at TVP’s Training Centre in Sulhamstead, Reading or HQ North, Kidlington. You will then join your designated Local Policing Area (LPA) for a period of operational tutoring leading to Independent Patrol Status. In year one operational training will include officer safety training, making an arrest and how to conduct a stop and search, amongst other things. You will also be required to complete seven academic assignments*. Four of these are completed during the initial learning phase, the remaining three are to be completed whilst operationally deployed during assigned periods of Protected Learning Time**.

Year two: Builds on the first year of learning but with more operational focus including response, investigation, intelligence, community policing and roads policing. In year two you will be required to complete seven academic assignments* whilst operationally deployed during assigned periods of Protected Learning Time**.

Year three: In year three you will be required to complete four academic assignments* whilst operationally deployed during assigned periods of Protected Learning Time** in addition to the End Point Assessment. As part of your End Point Assessment you will be assessed on your Evidence-Based Research Project and achieve Full Operational Competence. The research project has a practical policing purpose; demonstrating your learning, critical thinking and problem-solving skills.

* Academic assignments are typically made up of the following: Coursework (essays / reports / portfolios), presentations / posters and time constrained examination / set exercises.

** There is sufficient protected learning time (PLT) built into all the PCDA/DHEP programmes throughout the 2 or 3 years in order to successfully complete the course and achieve the relevant qualification. Part of this PLT is reserved for learning (off the job training) to be delivered to the student and part is reserved as independent study time to assist in the completion of the academic assignments. However, students may wish to spend additional time on completing assignments outside of these allocated hours.

Eligibility

To apply for the PCDA, you must:
  • 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, or an EU/European Economic Area (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,
  • residency – have been a UK resident for the last three years. There are some exceptions (e.g. periods of travelling/working overseas, armed forces etc) which will be considered on a case-by-case basis,
  • have passes in both English(Language or Literature)and Mathematics GCSE(A*-C/9-4) or equivalent Level 2 qualifications*,
  • have two A-Levels or equivalent Level 3 qualifications (please refer to the A-Level equivalency table), or one A-Level qualification (or equivalent) combined with relevant professional experience**, or relevant professional experience only**. Suitability of your ‘relevant professional experience’ will be jointly assessed by TVP and Bucks New University, with TVP having the final decision.
  • not have undertaken the College of Policing-licensed pre-join degree in Professional Policing,
  • hold a full manual UK or EU 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,
  • not have applied unsuccessfully within the past six months,
  • 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.

* If you do not have the required English and Maths qualifications, please refer to this English & Maths Level 2 document which contains guidance on how you could gain these qualifications.

** What qualifies as ‘relevant professional experience’? TVP and BNU need to ensure that student officers on the PCDA have the ability to achieve what is required academically during the programme. ‘Relevant professional experience’ could come from a wide variety of professions and industries, both public and private sector and, for example, could include (but is not limited to) transferable experience where: you have had to demonstrate an ability to solve problems or make informed decisions, research, retain and convey complex information, managed a varied workload or projects, worked under pressure or to tight time scales. For guidance on the knowledge, skills and behaviours expected of an apprentice police constable, please refer to the apprenticeship standard.

Application Process

Typically, the process from initial application through to start date can take six to nine months and includes:

  1. Self-assessment questionnaire – we encourage all applicants to self-assess your eligibility prior to applying,
  2. Application including proof of eligibility – be prepared to apply,
  3. Online assessment process – National Sift – taking approx 1 hour to complete
  4. Online assessment centre – Interview/Written – taking approx. 3 hours to complete
  5. Interview
  6. Provisional offer
  7. Pre-employment checks including fitness test, medical, references and vetting
  8. Start date

Apply

Applications for the PCDA are now closed, however you can register your interest for our programme and get notified when applications are live again and be given the opportunity to apply.

In partnership with

Bucks New University

Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (Detective DHEP): Applications closed. Register your interest for future recruitment

Online Assessments

National Sift and Online Assessment Centre

All candidates will undertake the new two-stage online assessment process. The first stage is referred to as the ‘National Sift’ and comprises a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and a Behavioural Styles Questionnaire (BSQ). Candidates who successfully pass the ‘National Sift’ will then be Eligibility-checked by the Recruitment team. Candidates who pass Eligibility will progress to the Online Assessment Centre (OAC), made up of an online interview, a written assessment and briefing exercise.

The online assessment process

The online assessment process

  • Stage 1 – National Sift The ‘National Sift’ comprises of two elements. First a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) followed by a Behavioural Styles Questionnaire (BSQ). Find out more in the National Sift document. Candidates who successfully pass the ‘National Sift’ will then be eligibility checked by the Recruitment team.
  • Stage 2 – Interview, Written Assessment and Briefing Exercise  Competency Based Interview: You will be asked a series of questions about how you have dealt with specific situations in the past. This is your opportunity to provide some examples of the key competencies and values that are important for police constables. You can use examples from both your work and your personal life.
  • Written assessment and briefing exercise
    • Written assessment: In this exercise, you will assume the role of a police constable and will have to complete an urgent written task for your line manager. You will receive four items of information to help you with this task.
    •  Briefing exercise: In this exercise, you will assume the role of a police constable and will have responsibility for dealing with some issues presented to you. You will be tasked with providing a response to a number of questions in relation to this issue. You will be provided with preparation materials to consider your answer.

Please note that you will receive and be able to take the written assessment and briefing exercises separately.

Required Technology

You can complete the exercises on any internet-enabled device with a camera (laptop, tablet or phone), but to ensure full compatibility with the online platform, the following should be set up.

Your operating system should be Windows 7 (or higher) or Mac OS 11.0 (or higher).

Your Apple iPhone, iPad or iPod Touch should have iOS 8.0 or later installed. Your Android device should have compatibility 4.1 (or higher). Your browser should be the latest version of Microsoft Edge, Mozilla Firefox or Google Chrome.  Please do not use Internet Explorer or Safari, as these browsers are not supported for the Online Assessments. A strong internet connection via WiFi – if you have a weak connection, connect via an Ethernet cable.

Further Information

For further information on the recruitment process, please refer to the College of Policing’s online assessment candidate FAQ or contact TVP’s Police Officer Recruitment Team directly: assessmentcentre@thamesvalley.police.uk

How to apply

Please refer to the relevant entry route dropdown box above.

Useful information

Contact us

If you would like to speak to our recruitment team about one of our programmes, please email us at RecruitmentPoliceOff@thamesvalley.police.uk