Every

Brave idea
Career goal
Promotion

Every action you take will change the lives of many.

Become a neighbourhood police officer.

National Graduate Leadership Programme

Starting salary: £28,551 – £36,775

Contract: Permanent

Location: Various

Programme length: Two years

Programme start: July 2025

About the programme

Every neighbourhood deserves to feel safe with police officers they can trust. By joining our programme, you can help vulnerable communities rocked by injustice and plagued by crime.

Our National Graduate Leadership Programme is designed to develop your resilience, leadership and problem-solving abilities to equip you with the skills and knowledge required as a neighbourhood police officer. We will teach you everything you need to know about working with communities and local partners, to prevent crime, lead investigations, and proactively identify neighbourhood issues.

Your salary is paid from day one when you start our training academy. You will then spend two years embedded in a neighbourhood. This will give you the opportunity to become a visible leader in the community, engage with partners to support and safeguard the vulnerable and prevent those at risk of offending. Our programme prepares you to make a positive change and stop crime before it happens. There is no greater feeling than seeing the work you do impact someone’s life for the better.

We are looking for talented graduates from all degree disciplines. You don’t need any previous policing knowledge or experience to be successful in our programme.

For your ambitions, career goals, promotions. For every brave new idea and the lives you’ll change. Become a neighbourhood police officer.

Training and development

Our award-winning training sets the foundation for a successful and transformative career in policing. Throughout the academy, you’ll have access to a performance and development coach who will support you in navigating a new career and maximise your potential. You’ll also have the opportunity to apply for a secondment, which is a unique opportunity to develop skills and gain valuable experience working with external partners.

Career progression

Once you successfully complete the programme, you will be a fully warranted neighbourhood police officer with a permanent role in policing. You’ll also join our alumni network and have full access to our team, who are there to support your career in policing.

Many of our graduates have gone on to get promoted or taken the opportunity to move laterally into the wide variety of departments that are on offer in policing. Such as becoming a detective, joining Counter Terrorism teams, or working on policing priorities such as Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG).

Our national graduate programmes

Over seven years, we’ve partnered with over 30 police forces across England and Wales to provide career opportunities nationwide. And, as we continue to grow, we are striving to bring our programmes to more forces.

Applications are currently closed for our National Graduate Leadership Programme. You can register your interest for future cohorts.

Are you eligible to apply?

To apply for this programme, you must:

be over 17 years of age or older on application, (and 18 by the time of appointment)
be a British citizen, a citizen of a country that is a member of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national who is resident in the UK and has settled status or leave to remain and work without restrictions
have been resident in the UK for the past three years (some exemptions allowed)
not currently be registered as bankrupt (or have bankruptcy debts that have been discharged within the past three years)
not have existing county court judgements outstanding against you
not be a current or previous member of a proscribed terrorist organisation or group
not plan to take an active role in politics once in role (this does not include voting, but would include canvassing for a political party)
be competent in written and spoken English and numeracy
hold at least one UK level 3 qualification in any subject, or non-UK equivalent
hold a first, 2:1 or 2.2 in any undergraduate degree from a UK university (or equivalent from a non-UK university) and have completed all education by the programme start date of July 2025, this includes part time or distance learning
have not undertaken the College of Policing-licensed pre-join degree in Professional Policing Practice
have not previously attested, trained or been employed as a police constable in the UK

Rewards and benefits

Salary

Your salary will commence on the first day of your training academy. You will receive a starting salary of £28,551 – £36,775, depending on location.

Your salary will increase each year up to over £46,000 within seven years.

Leave

You’ll start with 22 days per year (on top of public holidays), rising to 30 days depending on your length of service. You can also expect other forms of leave including adoption, maternity and paternity.

Pension

You’ll automatically be enrolled as a member of the Police Pension Scheme 2015, which awards police officers for their dedication and service to the public. It offers a generous and secure retirement package, providing officers with financial stability and peace of mind.

Work-life balance

This is not your typical 9-5. Police officers work varied shift patterns which gives them flexibility and freedom to maximise their time outside of work. Different to your typical working week, you’ll often receive several days off in a row. It may take some time to adapt to shift pattern working, but once you do, you may find that the flexibility of the schedule allows you to better balance work and home life.

Financial services discounts

There are various partner organisations who work alongside the police to offer a variety of financial services including saving, investment and protection products, as well as discounts and subsidies. Many major high street stores, retail outlets and other national organisations offer discounts and special deals to police officers. Most police forces also provide access to a number of subsidised leisure and sporting activities.

Application process

Throughout each stage of the application process, you’ll learn more about the preventative and transformative role of neighbourhood policing:

If you receive a conditional offer, you will have a dedicated Recruitment Officer who will support with your onboarding prior to starting the programme.

National detective programme Applications now open