It’s a great way to improve the lives of others – including your own
Great choice – it’s a great way to improve lives, especially your own
You’ll be paid during your training, and your salary will rise incrementally over seven years to £41,130 (as of March 2021). There are lots of ways to apply too, so there’ll be a route in which is perfect for you. If you’re from an under-represented group, our Positive Action team will help you all the way.
Regular officers
If you meet the entry requirements apply to become a police officer:
You can apply at the age of 17 but cannot become a police officer until you are 18 . You must have full UK manual drivers license at the time of joining Northamptonshire Police. You will need level 2 (GCSE) in Maths and English and 2 A Levels or 1 Vocational Level 3 qualification. These can be any subject, from any college and any grade.
Tradition route may be returning
This is the most direct route and is called the Initial Police Learning & Development Programme (IPLDP). In just two years you’ll be a fully qualified police constable. We will train you on the police law and your personal skills will help you to apply that in an operational setting.
Non-degree entry
On this path you’ll be a police constable from day one, with a three-year Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA). You’ll train and learn on the job and will even earn a degree as part of the process, all paid for by Northamptonshire Police.
Degree-holder entry
If you already have a degree in any subject, you can join us on the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) prior to becoming a police officer. This two-year programme includes formal, practical and self-directed learning.
See how this route helped Gan and Kritesh get the most out of policing.
Police staff
Being a police officer isn’t the only option. You can jump straight to the section on other police staff roles by clicking here.
Positive Action help sessions
Our Positive Action team runs free help sessions (often online) for people from under-represented groups who would like to apply. Our team will work with you to provide whatever specific support you need to put together your best application. You can find out more about them and book a place here.
To find out more about how you can join and what you need to apply, click here.
When can you start?
Our recruitment process involves interviews, carrying out checks, some assessments and even uniform fitting, so it can take up to nine months from sending your initial application until you actually join us, as you can see here. We know this is a long time, but the Positive Action team will be available to help and support you in any way they can during this time.
When we recruit
To see when our next recruitment window opens, please click here.
