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Devon and Cornwall Police

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Devon and Cornwall Police jobs

Change the story

Do you think differently? Do you want a meaningful career that improves the lives of those around you, a career where no two days are the same?

If so, you may be eligible to join a Police Now award winning two-year national graduate programme. This is a unique opportunity to join the police through one of our Times Top 100 graduate employment schemes, which offer support, mentorship, and personal career development opportunities throughout the two-year programme.

Society needs police officers as diverse as the communities they serve across the Devon and Cornwall region, to improve the lives of those around them. We need people like you to bring the diversity of your experiences to make a positive and lasting difference in Devon and Cornwall to communities challenged by crime.

ARE YOU ELIGIBLE?

Police detective jobs in Devon and Cornwall

Do you notice?

Do you notice? Are you a problem solver? Someone who can communicate with anyone? Can you gain the trust of those around you?

If so, you could become a police detective with the Devon and Cornwall Police through Police Now’s National Detective Programme. You must have a minimum 2:2 university degree and meet our criteria to apply for the programme, which will give you the skills you need for modern investigative work and positively impact communities in Devon and Cornwall.

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Devon and Cornwall Police careers

Formed in 1967 from an amalgamation of local forces, Devon & Cornwall Police covers the largest area of any English police force at nearly 4,000 square miles of rural, coastal and urban communities.

Our peninsula includes extensive national heritage sites, farmland, over 1,200 miles of coastline, a 13,600-mile road network, holiday resorts, market towns and the idyllic Isles of Scilly.

Our two ‘County Shows’, air shows, regattas and other festivals form some of the most notable policing events, in addition to the peninsula being a popular tourist destination.

Our population of 1.8 million swells with around 11 million visitors per year. Tourists and other visitors bring great economic benefits plus significant summer policing demand, contributing to the 1 million annual calls for service we receive.

Ensuring equality of access to policing for all groups and providing equal opportunities to join or progress within the service are some of our equality priorities.

We encourage the following values among colleagues, with the code of ethics underpinning everything we do:

  • Impartiality
  • Integrity
  • Public Service
  • Transparency
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WE HAVE RECRUITED 62 POLICE OFFICERS ACROSS FORCES IN THE SOUTH WEST TO DATE.

Through our partnership with Devon and Cornwall Police and neighbouring forces in the South West region, we have recruited, trained and developed 62 graduates to become police officers and detectives on our national graduate programmes since 2017.

  • Chief Constable: Shaun Sawyer
  • Headquarters: Middlemoor, Exeter, Devon
  • Areas include: Torquay, St Ives, Exeter, Exmouth, Barnstaple, Ilfracombe, Penzane, Dartmouth, Plymouth
Upile Mtitimila
Upile Mtitimila | Detective Sergeant

Why join Devon and Cornwall Police with Police Now?

By joining Devon and Cornwall Police through Police Now’s national graduate programmes, you’ll benefit from our unique range of support and development features specially designed to develop your career and your impact in policing.

You’ll get a whole host of Police Now benefits unique to our national graduate programmes.

  • A Performance Development Coach who’ll work with you over the two year programme on your personal and professional development.
  • A Police Now national peer network to learn from and share experiences with.
  • Advice from experienced officers through the Police Now alumni network.
  • Our specially designed six-week Police Now Academy to give you a unique and intensive preparation for life in-force.
  • Our specially developed affinity networks, places to meet and share experiences, insights and support with likeminded people.
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"

I've got no interest really in leaving the police now. It's definitely career that I want to stay with for the rest of my working life. The opportunities that get presented within the police are so vast you probably don't even know all the opportunities that exist.

I've been really fulfilled and rewarded by being given the opportunity to not just join the police, but going through the Police Now route that I have gone through, just because you get exposed to so many different parts of the organisation really early on, and that allows you to understand the roles, and that gives you an awareness of all the necessary skills, and that allows you to become a good detective from day one.

Larry Brown | Trainee Detective Constable
Larry Brown | Trainee Detective Constable

Devon and Cornwall Police graduate scheme

We are looking for graduates to join Devon and Cornwall Police through our national graduate programmes.

National Detective Programme

As a detective you care, it’s a serious career choice. You act on instinct and grow your capacity to change communities by delivering excellence in policing.

MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

National Graduate Leadership Programme

As a neighbourhood police officer you will work within diverse communities, devise long term strategic solutions and work collaboratively in a multi agency approach to solve crimes and systemic problems.
MORE ABOUT THE PROGRAMME

Devon and Cornwall Police recruitment

Our focus on diversity and inclusion

Devon & Cornwall Police are committed to equality of opportunity, diversity of thought and inclusive practices. One of their published Equality Objectives is specifically to ‘build, support and retain a workforce that is diverse, inclusive and better reflects the communities we serve.’

A principle to maintaining the tradition of UK ‘policing by consent’ is that “the police are the public and the public are the police”. Devon and Cornwall Police welcome all those who share the force’s values and wish to make a positive difference to the communities served. 

The force are working hard to increase their representation of the public they serve across all protected characteristics and other demographics. This includes encouraging increased recruitment from Black, Asian and other minority ethnic communities, people of all abilities and beliefs, increasing proportion of female officers, while also maintaining the diverse representation the force already has across ages, of LGBTQ+ communities, plus the range of other mixed backgrounds and experience of their officers.

Tary Kufa | Trainee Detective Constable

Police Now | Devon & Cornwall Constabulary

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We want to encourage people of diverse backgrounds, experience and beliefs, who share our values and want to make a difference in the community, to consider working for us.

We also have a network of diversity champions and a range of staff support groups who can support our diverse workforce.

Devon and Cornwall Police

Are you eligible to apply?

Before you apply, make sure you meet our eligibility criteria with our online guide.​

Our criteria for entry to the programme follow national standards for new police officers. Take a look at the full details to make sure you are eligible before applying to Devon and Cornwall Police. 

Devon and Cornwall Police Eligibility
  • Age - You must be over 17 years old at the time of your application.
  • Residency - You’ll need to have resided in the UK continuously for the past three years
  • Nationality - You can be of any nationality to apply, providing you have the status of indefinite leave to remain and work in the UK.
  • Academic qualifications - You must hold two UK Level 3 Qualifications in any subject, or an overseas equivalent. You must also have, or be predicted to achieve, a minimum 2:2 undergraduate degree from a university in the UK, or an equivalent from a non-UK university.
  • Driving licence - You must hold a current full UK manual driving licence within six months of the programme start date.

How you apply

You want a career where you can make an impact. Are you prepared to start the application process?

Being prepared is the first step in being successful in your application. Before you apply, make sure to thoroughly read this information and have everything you need to start your journey.

Find out how you apply for Devon and Cornwall Police and all the steps you’ll go through in becoming a police officer with Police Now.

HOW YOU APPLY

Devon & Cornwall Police

Police Now | Devon & Cornwall Constabulary
cc-shaun-sawyer

Shaun Sawyer

Chief Constable

National Graduate Leadership Programme

Cohorts: 2015 2016 2017 2018 2019 2020
No. of police officers enrolled: — — — 8 — —

National Detective Programme

Cohorts: —— —— —— —— 2019 2020
No. of police officers enrolled: — — — — — —

Case studies:

Visit the Devon & Cornwall Police website www.devon-cornwall.police.uk