Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship - PCDA (DP26, C1)

The Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route into policing is an exciting opportunity for individuals from all backgrounds to obtain a degree whilst working and earning a full salary as a police officer.

The PCDA programme is delivered in partnership with a university and includes classroom delivery, practical application and tutorship. The programme will be split between the university and our police headquarters in Ripley. The Apprenticeship programme will enable rotations around various key departments in the second year and you will be able to apply for specialisms in the third year.

Being a Police Constable means never knowing what's going to happen next. You'll be working long hours, typically 12-hour shifts, you'll be in contact with the widest variety of people, and you'll be expected to act with integrity at all times - even when you're out of uniform. At the same time, it's a role that can give you some of the best and proudest days of your life. From protecting the vulnerable and saving lives to just making your local community feel safer, it's exciting, diverse and vitally important.

In return, you will have the benefit of working for a creative, forward-thinking force that is dedicated to keeping Leicestershire a safe place to live, work and visit.

Salary

Apprentices are not required to contribute towards the cost of their degree but remain in probation for the three-year duration of the programme. The starting salary is £31,164, in year 2 and £32,427 in year 3 and within 7 years £50,256.

What you'll being doing

• You’ll provide initial and ongoing frontline response to a wide range of incidents that may include complex and confrontational situations, assessing immediate risk, threat and harm to choose a proportionate response in line with the law, policy and guidance.
• Take a leading role in effective localised partnerships to problem solve, engage with, reassure and support organisations, groups and individuals across communities in line with the Force’s planned approach.
• Effectively engage with victims, witnesses, suspects and the vulnerable, in accordance with equality, diversity and human rights considerations, to provide initial support, direct towards relevant services, establish relationships and gather information that prevents and reduces crimes.
• You’ll maintain awareness of potential and actual risks to individuals, taking appropriate action to protect and support those in need of public protection to pre-empt or effectively address safety / vulnerability issues.
• Conduct effective and efficient priority and high-volume investigations as requested in line with standards of investigation to inform the development of high-quality case files and initiation of criminal justice proceedings.
• Gather and handle information, intelligence, and evidence, from a variety of sources, in line with legislation, policies and guidance, taking the appropriate action to support investigations, law enforcement and criminal justice proceedings.

The must haves

• hold a level 2 in Maths and English grade C/4 or above at the time of submitting your application.
• hold 2 A levels or a level 3 that is equivalent qualification in any subject or are in your last year of study.
• Or are a current serving PCSO, who has completed your professional development plan, passed your probationary period and served 12 months in post and you are up to date with all mandatory training at the time of submitting your application.
• Or are a current serving Special Constable who has attained independent patrol status at the time of application, who is consistently completing sixteen hours per month and is up to date with all mandatory training
• Or are a current serving NIO, who has attained a PIP1 qualification, passed your probationary period and served 12 months in post and you are up to date with all mandatory training at the time of submitting your application.
• Or are currently employed and have served 2 years in a front facing role from the date of application in one of the following areas:
  • Investigation Officers
  • Emergency Services
  • Armed Forces
  • Prison Service
• Hold a full UK/EU valid driving licence within 6 months of your start date.

Please review the qualification and experience guidance attached to check your qualification before you submit your application.

Training and cohort

Your anticipated start date for training will be Autumn 2026 or March 2027. Your training will last for 30 weeks and throughout this period your leave will be pre-booked. If you have any prior holidays or arrangements, throughout this period, we will not be able to accommodate these and will not be able to offer you a place on this cohort. 

We only have a limited number of places for this cohort and will be selecting the highest scoring candidates.

What’s in it for you?

At Derbyshire Constabulary, we want to create an environment that puts people first, so you feel supported in everything you do.  We have a range of reward and benefits available to all our employees.

Next Steps

To find out more, register for our upcoming information webinars click here. Once you've attended you will then be sent a link to be able to apply.

• To support you with your application we have provided some guidance on our recruitment process.

Once we have sufficient applications, we may close this campaign earlier than expected.

Who we are

Derbyshire Constabulary has a strong and unequivocal commitment to delivering a high-quality policing service for everyone in the county - whether for our one million residents or our ten million visitors to the Peak District. By joining us you'll play a unique role in helping us to keep Derbyshire as one of the safest places to live and work in England.

To understand how you can make Derbyshire safer together visit our careers website.

We welcome applications from individuals from all backgrounds and encourage anyone who has considered a career in policing to apply. We’re particularly keen to increase the number of females and candidates from black and minority ethnic communities and the LGBT community, so that we can truly reflect the communities that we serve in.