Three new trainee Detective Constables join City of London 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 City of London Police’s Response and Criminal Investigation Departments.

Trainee Detective Constable Elizabeth Alker joins City of London Police today via the Police Now programme, after completing a degree in English Literature and working in the marketing sector for three years. She said: “The Police Now academy experience has been both enjoyable and insightful. The teaching at academy was brilliant and I personally feel so much more confident than I did at the start. We met some amazing people, learnt new skills and gained so much knowledge. We are now really looking forward to being in City of London Police to put what we have learnt into practice, and to work with our colleagues and the community.”

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. They will also work towards their Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice in partnership with the University of Huddersfield.

Detective Sergeant Bobby Mellor, an experienced officer seconded from City of London Police to train the new detectives at the academy, said: “My time at the academy has been a memorable experience. It has been great to work alongside my fellow ‘syndicate leads’ (academy trainers) from across the country in delivering the curriculum. We have supported and encouraged each other, and lasting friendships have been made.

“To watch our officers grow from where they started to reach where they are now has been remarkable. I feel I have been incredibly well supported by Police Now, who recognise the challenges that the role presents. Of course, it has had its ups and downs, nothing that is worthwhile ever comes easy, but it has certainly been an experience I will look back on with great fondness.”