Fifteen new degree apprenticeship officers formally welcomed to Hertfordshire police

Fifteen apprentice police officers were formally welcomed to Hertfordshire Constabulary by Deputy Chief Constable Bill Jephson at their passing out parade earlier this month.

Many young people are put off by the cost of starting higher education, but this route into policing offers a fully-funded degree apprenticeship, combining on the job learning with a competitive salary starting at £29,682 and other benefits.

They have started their policing careers via the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route. This is a three-year, work-based practical course which enables apprentices to join as a police officer and achieve a BSc (Hons) degree in Professional Policing Practice.

The cohort of eight men and seven women includes an ex-warehouse operative, two sales assistants, a former accountant, customer assistant, delivery driver and an ex-nursery nurse.

Family and friends of the students attended to celebrate the end of their initial training at police headquarters in Welwyn Garden City.

Mr Jephson presented them with framed certificates, marking the end of their initial training, with other senior officers and trainers also in attendance.

“It is a pleasure to be with you today to celebrate your achievements and welcome you to our very special team,” said Mr Jephson. “You have all been successful in graduating from your initial stage of training and you are some of the first to join us on the PCDA programme.

“You have absorbed an incredible amount of information and you will now put that knowledge into practice, learning new skills and building experience working on the streets in our communities. This job will inspire you, stretch you, amaze you, test you, satisfy you and might even delight you at times. There will not be a day when you don’t have an opportunity to make a difference to someone else’s life. To restore order to their chaos or to provide some humanity and compassion to a human tragedy.

“Policing is about service and people, putting the public first, offering a local, personalised and friendly approach to all of those within our community and working together to prevent crime and harm. Highly visible policing is a key part of what we try to achieve within Hertfordshire and we now have more officers than ever before.”

The student officers now start their first postings with three officers based in Hatfield; two in St Albans; two in Hemel Hempstead; two in Potters Bar & South Mimms; one in Royston; one in Borehamwood; one in Watford; one in Letchworth; one in Hoddesdon; and one in Hitchin.

Hertfordshire Constabulary is a force that’s putting crime and harm prevention first, and for those wanting to become police officer, who do not already have a degree, this is a great opportunity to earn while you learn and make a genuine, positive difference to people from all walks of life.

We are inviting applications for the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship and other entry routes now. Visit our police officer recruitment website (opens in a new window) to find out how to apply and register your interest.

Through our ‘Positive Action’ scheme, Hertfordshire Constabulary is committed to building relationships with under-represented groups and encouraging them to join our policing family. For more information and support visit our police officer recruitment website diversity page (opens in a new window).