Annual Salary
£29,000 to £46,000
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
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Swap to Armed forces or Security or go back to all job sectors
Police officers respond to incidents, investigate crimes and work closely with communities to keep them safe.
Average UK salary in 2023 was £34,963
(source Office for National Statistics)
You could work: evenings / weekends / bank holidays; on shifts
There will be
0.2% fewer Police officer jobs in 2027.
As a police officer, you could:
You may need to wear a uniform.
You could work on a patrol or at a police station.
Your working environment may be outdoors in all weathers and physically and emotionally demanding.
You can get into this job through:
You can do a degree in any subject then apply for a place on one of the police entry programmes, such as:
Alternatively, you can complete a 3-year Professional Policing degree at a participating university.
You are not guaranteed a job at the end of the course. Instead, you have to apply for police constable roles within 5 years of completing this degree.
If you want to train to be a detective, you can apply for a place on the 2-year National Detective Programme (NDP).
You will need a degree and at least 2 A levels or equivalent qualifications to apply for the NDP.
You'll usually need:
You could do a college course to prepare for a direct application for police officer training or a degree apprenticeship, though this is not essential.
Courses include:
You could apply to do a Police Constable Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship. It's a 3-year work-based programme that leads to a degree in Professional Policing Practice.
If you want to work in non-emergency response situations you could apply for a place on a Serious and Complex Crime Investigator Level 6 Degree Apprenticeship.
This can lead to work with police forces and organisations like:the National Crime Agency; HM Revenue and Customs; the Ministry of Defence
You'll usually need:
You could get paid work as a police community support officer (PCSO) before applying for police officer training.
You can get a taste of what it's like to work with the police by volunteering as a special constable.
You can apply directly through the 2-year Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP).
You'll need 2 A levels or equivalent qualifications to apply. Relevant experience can also be taken into account. This might be from:
You can search for forces that are recruiting for the PCEP. If your initial application is successful, you'll be invited to an assessment centre where you'll take written tests and have an interview.
If you're a former police officer, you could return to policing by contacting a participating force for details about their rejoiner scheme.
You'll need to:
If you're aged 13 to 18 you could become a police cadet. The skills you learn and experiences you gain will benefit you whatever career path you choose.
You can find information on routes into policing from Joining the Police.
You'll need to contact your local police force to apply, as each force has its own recruitment rules.
After training, you'll need to pass a probationary period as a police constable.
There are opportunities to specialise in a particular type of policing, for example:criminal investigation department (CID), anti-fraud or road traffic; drugs or firearms; counter-terrorism; air support or underwater search; dog-handling or mounted policing
With experience and extra training, you may be able to apply for promotion to sergeant, inspector or chief inspector.
In the CID, you'll also have the title of detective added to your rank, for example detective sergeant or detective chief inspector.
You'll need to contact your local police force to apply, as each force has its own recruitment rules.
You can find out more about careers in the police from the College of Policing.
You'll need: