Fifteen new trainee Detective Constables join Thames Valley Police today (Monday 27th June) via Police Now’s National Detective Programme, having completed their initial academy training.

Their training began in March, when 170 new officers were attested at Police Now’s detective academy. The 14-week academy equipped participants with the core knowledge and skills required in modern investigative work, including managing crime scenes, making arrests, handling complex investigations, and first aid and officer safety training. Participants also sat their National Investigators’ Exam and completed field training shifts in Thames Valley Police’s Response and Criminal Investigation Departments.

Sarah Church joins Thames Valley Police today via Police Now’s programme, after 13 years in the Army and two years at UK Research and Innovation. She was awarded an ‘Excellence in Teamwork and Leadership Award’ at the academy closing ceremony, following multiple nominations from her fellow trainees, for always going above and beyond during training and offering support to other members of the team.

Trainee Detective Constable Sarah Church said: “The last 14 weeks of Police Now’s academy has really flown by. The learning curve has been steep but our trainers have taught us so much. It’s been a unique opportunity to meet police officers from across the country and to learn from some very experienced investigators. For me, the two short attachments on the force’s Response team and in the Criminal Investigation Department were a highlight. I’m now very much looking forward to taking all the skills I’ve learned with Police Now and putting them into practice serving the public.”

The new officers will now continue Police Now’s two-year National Detective Programme within their force, where they will be supported by Police Now coaches and force colleagues to play an integral part in solving crimes and supporting victims of crime across Thames Valley. They will also work towards their Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice in partnership with the University of Huddersfield.

Acting Detective Sergeant Neil Callaway, one of two experienced officers seconded from the force to train the new detectives at the academy, said: “It has been a privilege and a pleasure to be involved with training the Thames Valley Police participants at Police Now’s academy this year.

“They are, without exception, a hard-working, enthusiastic and amiable group of aspiring detectives who have come through the academy with flying colours. Their progress over these weeks has genuinely impressed me, and I am confident that as they continue to develop their policing skills they will become a real asset to the force and the public they serve.”