Nine new trainee detective constables land in Bedfordshire Police today (Monday 26th June), having just completed Police Now’s National Detective Programme academy.  

The 13-week residential academy began in March when almost 230 new officers – who all join their respective forces across England and Wales today – began their intensive training together. They have developed the core policing skills and knowledge required for complex investigative work, in a mix of practical and classroom-based sessions led by experienced sergeants seconded from Police Now’s partner forces. They have also completed field training shifts in their force Response teams and within Criminal Investigation Departments and have sat the challenging National Investigators’ Exam (NIE). Police Now officers sit the NIE at the academy and consistently achieve a higher-than-average first-time pass rate. At this year’s detective academy, there was an average first-time pass rate of 75% compared to the national average of 59%.  

They now continue Police Now’s two-year training and development programme in force, where they will play an integral part in solving cases and supporting victims of crime across Bedfordshire. Supported by their experienced colleagues and Police Now Performance and Development Coaches, they will be Professionalising Investigations Programme Level 2 (PIP2) certified by the end of the two-year programme.   

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra of Bedfordshire Police delivered a keynote address to the new officers at the academy closing ceremony (15th – 16th June), in his last ever policing appearance before officially retiring that week. He said: “I look over the room, as I come to the end of my career, and I see the future of policing. You will change policing and you will improve policing for the better. I have no doubt that during your academy training you have worked hard, you have been professional and you have had fun. Continue to do this throughout the next stages of your training and the rest of your policing careers. Policing is tough, you will have some bad days, you will see things that other people won’t see and you will experience things that other people shouldn’t have to experience. But you will change people’s lives and you will save people’s lives. The good days will always overtake the bad, as you support those that need you the most and secure justice for victims.”  

Trainee Detective Constable Ben Davies, who joins Bedfordshire Police today via the programme, said: “Academy was a fantastic environment to learn in and presented an opportunity to grow and develop alongside not only my force peers but also peers across forces nationally. Undertaking the NIE while at academy, while daunting, was important for giving me the confidence to succeed when landing in force, especially considering I managed to pass! The protected learning time at the academy helped me to focus on the NIE while also preparing for other assessments. Overall, I feel ready for the challenges ahead of me and am grateful for the experience.” 

Police Now is a Times Top 100 Graduate Employer and has partnered with a total of 36 forces to recruit and train over 2,680 police officers and detectives nationally.  

Police Now typically attracts those who had not previously considered a career in policing and seeks to empower officers to challenge cultures, build public confidence in policing and support the communities that need them the most. Of those that started on the National Detective Programme this year, 58% had never considered a career in policing before hearing about Police Now and 70% are career changers.