Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP)
Earn while you learn via the Police Constable Entry Programme (PCEP).
What is PCEP?
It’s a two-year programme where you’ll focus on learning the skills needed for the job rather than working towards a bigger qualification. It’s all about developing the skills, knowledge and behaviours needed to be ‘confirmed in rank’ as an operational police officer.
As a student officer you’ll be supported from day one by experienced trainers. You’ll get a good mix of working on the front line and time spent learning the theory. You’ll also get to experience working in different policing teams to boost your experience and give you a chance to apply your learning.
By the time you’ve completed your two-year probation period – demonstrating that you’ve gained, and continually used, your policing knowledge, skills and behaviours – you’ll be eligible to be confirmed in rank as a police officer.
You’ll be amazed at how many different roles there are in policing. When you’ve finished your training and been confirmed in rank, your first posting will be to either the Response and Patrol or Local Policing teams. This will give you a fantastic grounding in the nuts and bolts of policing, and is the perfect starting point to figure out what direction you’d like your career in policing to take.
What will I study?
Your course will be delivered by experienced trainers with a wealth of professional and subject expertise, and you’ll be supported by a network of relevant subject specialists to prepare you with key skills required for the role of Police Constable.
Your learning will be a mixture of face to face, remote and digital. Mostly, you’ll be splitting your time between the Mather Avenue Training Academy and your designated operational Merseyside Police station. You’ll be given protected learning time to help you stay on top of things.
How will I be assessed?
To ensure you’ve got the right level of knowledge, understanding, skills, attitudes and behaviours, there’ll be a range of different kinds of assessments across the two years, including:
- Roleplay exercises
- Tutor observations
- Portfolio work
- Discussions
- Exams
- Problem solving projects
As well as a starting salary of £28,551 a year - potentially rising to £43,032 within your first seven years – you can also expect:
- 22 days annual leave entitlement, rising in line with length of service
- Police Pension Scheme membership
- Lifestyle benefits, such as a range of sports clubs and on-site gym facilities, Blue Light discount scheme with dozens of online and high street brands
- Continuing professional development and career progression opportunities
To apply, you need to:
- Be over the age of 17 – although we will be happy to take your application, you will not be offered an intake date which starts prior to your 18th birthday (please bear this in mind when applying as this could make your application process quite long)
- Have Level 2 English and Maths qualifications
- Have not had a Police Officer application rejected by ourselves, or another Force, in the last 3 months
- Not be a member of an extreme political organisation such as BNP, Nation Front or Combat 18
- Not have any tattoos (irrespective of what they are) on the face or neck that are visible above the collar line or below the cuff line
- Not have any tattoos that may be deemed inappropriate, offensive, or lewd in nature irrespective of placement on the body
- Not have any charge or summons currently outstanding against you
- Have not been sentenced to a custodial sentence
- Not been registered as a sex offender
- Not be currently registered as bankrupt
We hold our officers and staff to rigorous standards of behaviour and conduct, and so the process between submitting an application and joining isn’t a quick one.
The different stages of the application process are:
- Basic eligibility check
- Application form submission
- National sift
- Online assessment -
Situational judgement test
Competency-based video interview
Written exercise and briefing exercise
- Invitation to interview
- Pre employment checks -
Fitness
Medical
Vetting
Biometric
- Final reference checks
- Final offer confirming start date
We know the application process can be long, but it’s essential we do everything in our power to only employ the staff and officers our Merseyside communities deserve.
To help make Merseyside Police representative of the communities we serve, we have a dedicated Inclusion team who provide support and guidance throughout the recruitment application process to candidates from underrepresented groups. You can learn more about the support available here.
Apply
Please click here to apply now.