Developed in partnership with the Metropolitan Police Service
Embark on an exciting and rewarding career like no other. The Met’s Degree Holder Entry Programme combines on the job learning with working towards a fully funded graduate diploma, all while earning a competitive salary and making a difference to London communities. You’ll be a police officer from the day you join.
Upon successful completion of the recruitment process, monthly start are dates available. Most of your training will take place on the job, working alongside experienced police officers in one of 12 Basic Command Units across London. This course is delivered through work-based learning and short blocks of attendance at a London campus. The Met also offers a part-time PC career route where new joiners can now train and start their service on a part-time basis. Study duration is 2 years full-time or 3 years part-time.
Open to individuals who already hold a degree, this programme will lead to a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice. If, however, you do not currently hold a degree but would be interested in pursuing a career in policing, the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship is an alternative entry pathway that you may wish to consider.
Joining the Met as a new Police Constable is just the beginning of the journey – this could be the start of an exciting and varied career. During your probationary period, you'll be working alongside experienced officers and gaining a wide range of practical and on-the-job knowledge to compliment your in-classroom training. The foundation you gain will stand you in good stead for the rest of your police career.
Once you've completed your probationary period, you'll then have plenty of opportunities to continue your professional development. Given that London is a unique city, it presents a unique set of policing challenges.
This means that the Met is involved in a wide range of operations and policing events, each presenting their own distinct opportunities to broaden your skill set, on a scale that you wouldn’t find in any other police service.
As a PC in London’s Met your career path could take you in many directions, be it as a detective, working in diplomatic protection, child protection, or as an authorised firearms officer. A dog handler or member of the mounted branch, working on 24hr response, or in cybercrime, the list of opportunities afforded to you at the Met is endless.
The Met provide some of the best training in the world to fully prepare you for the unique challenges of policing London.
This training programme is delivered in partnership with four London universities:
You’ll be assigned to one of the Met’s four partner universities as part of your training. However, you’ll spend most of your training on the job, working as part of a policing team on a Borough Operational Command Unit (BCU), fully supported in putting your learning into practice by experienced colleagues.
You’ll start your training with an initial period of classroom-based learning at a London university and will be welcomed into an operational policing team in which you will be working. You’ll undertake most of your training on the frontline, in one of 12 Basic Command Units (BCUs), where you’ll work alongside a team of experienced colleagues.
Your learning will cover a wide range of policing topics including officer safety training, emergency life support, safeguarding, crime investigation and operational policing skills (based on a national policing curriculum).
In your final year, you’ll undertake a research project, which will focus on a practical policing problem with a solution that makes a difference to helping keep London safe.
Throughout your training you’ll undertake work-based learning, fully supported in applying new skills and knowledge as part of your operational duties, as well as self-directed study and reflective learning. You’ll be immersed in day-to-day policing. This will let you contextualise what you are learning and develop the skills and experience you need for this challenging role, while actively contributing to policing priorities in your area as a fully employed police officer from day one.
Your training will also include officer safety and emergency life support skills to fully prepare you for your operational role.
You’ll need to successfully complete both operational and academic assessments before being awarded a degree and becoming a fully-fledged police officer. All assessments have been specifically designed to test the skills, knowledge and qualities required to be an officer.
You will have to complete a number of different assessments throughout the course, including written reflective reports and essays, exams, presentations (both group and individual) and digital artefacts (e.g. a case study blog or podcast). Alongside academic assessments, you will also need to compile an Operational Competence Portfolio over the duration of the apprenticeship and pass a number of operational assessments against a range of critical policing skills, including; providing effective initial response to a critical incident, engaging proactively with communities, conducting effective evaluation of intelligence and providing support to vulnerable people, victims and witnesses.
Our London-based teaching facility is purpose built with specialist facilities including a mock courtroom, interview rooms and mock crime scenes to support the delivery of the PEQF.
To join the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), you must have:
For our complete entry requirements, please refer to www.met.police.uk/pcpathways for latest details.
To apply or find out more about entry routes, visit the Metropolitan Police website.
Apply online now