Police community support officers
We are inviting people to start their career in policing with our Police Community Support Officers (PCSO) Apprenticeship Level 4 Diploma in Community Policing - earn while you learn and make a real impact in the community.
Interested in joining?
Police Community Support Officers (PCSOs) are crucial to the success of our approach to neighbourhood policing and provide a crucial link between local communities and regular police officers. PCSOs are a visible presence within our neighbourhoods ensuring that there is a constant offer of support whilst helping those in need.
This rewarding career offers an opportunity to play a pivotal role in those communities and join a unique profession where you can really can make a difference.
Working alongside Police Officers, you will play a key role in engaging with our local communities to provide reassurance and to work them to tackle issues of local concern. This may involve duties such as:
- Engaging with communities of all backgrounds and ages, empowering and encouraging them to become more involved with the policing of their area
- Identify and understand key issues, working with the public to remove or prevent these
- Be a highly visible uniformed presence both on foot or cycle patrols
- Provide crime prevention and safety advice
- Help to collect CCTV evidence and provide support for front-line policing
- Keep in regular contact with community, religious and business leaders
- Work with young people and local schools and attend public events
As a PCSO, you will not have powers of arrest and will not have to carry out the more complex and high-risk tasks that police officers perform, however you will still carry a lot of responsibility, and play a critical role in helping to reduce crime and provide reassurance to our communities.
About our PCSO Training Programme
The PCSO Apprenticeship is a programme that entails work-based learning and gives you the support to gain the Level 4 Diploma in Community Policing Practice qualification within it, that meets the competence requirement for entry to the policing profession as a PCSO. It forms part of the Police Constable Entry Route programmes (PCER) developed by the College of Policing. The curriculum you will learn is based upon the national policing curriculum for the PCSO role. This curriculum provides the knowledge, understanding, skills and behaviours identified nationally as being the minimum learning requirements needed for a PCSO to be able to police effectively
The apprenticeship consists of a minimum of 12 months of classroom and workplace learning plus an additional 12-week assessment practice-based period, that will enable you to demonstrate your knowledge and policing skills gained throughout the apprenticeship programme. Part-time working may be an option in this role but only from the point of successful completion of the tutor period. Any decision in relation to this will be based upon individual circumstances and the requirements of the force.
Students on the programme split their time between classroom based academic study and the workplace, working towards gaining the qualification from Skills for Justice Awards. Initial training (‘off the job’ classroom-based learning) will last 16 weeks. It will consist of an induction period, classroom- based learning sessions and two-week period out in a nominated area plus a week’s holiday (week 10). Following this initial period, you will then enter a 6-week tutored phase with an experienced PCSO and/or Police Officer and upon completion of training at week 22 into your programme, you'll be awarded independent patrol status and posted into your allocated area to commence your new career whilst gathering evidence towards the remainder of your apprenticeship.
During training, you’ll be paid your standard salary for approximately 36.5 hours per week, Monday - Friday between the hours of 8am and 6pm. Your shift pattern will be determined by the needs of the area you’re based in.
​​​As you near the end of your apprenticeship there will be an end point assessment that you will need to successfully undertake, following which you will be awarded your diploma and apprenticeship certificates demonstrating that you met the required national standards for being a PCSO. You can find details of the apprenticeship end point assessment here.
What does the training entail?
- Initial Training – 14 weeks classroom based plus a two-week patrol experience, working in the community where you will be able to observe PCSO’s working in those communities.
- On completion of initial training a PCSO will undertake a 6-week tutored phase working alongside an experienced PCSO. They will then work towards the successful completion of your diploma and the apprenticeship requirements in order to become a fully competent PCSO.
- Be able to work towards a Level 4 professional qualification (Level 4) – The Diploma in Community Policing practice as part of the apprenticeship.
- Support and guidance is available to assist you in meeting the requirements of your apprenticeship as well as being able to attain other aspects of personal development such as functional skills in Maths and English qualifications if required.
Thinking about applying?
Are you passionate about working in the heart of our community?
Would you be proud to offer a visible and accessible uniformed presence in the community, focusing on improving quality of life for the public?
Apply to become a PCSO apprentice.
- Ability to deal with confrontation
- Excellent customer service skills
- Confident communicator
- Flexible with regards to working hours. You will be required to work a rotating shift pattern covering the hours of 8am to 10pm – Monday to Sunday.
- Minimum age requirement - 18 years
In return for your commitment you will receive the following benefits:
- £27,204 to £29, 859 plus equalisation allowance of 13.33%
- 33 days holidays (inclusive of bank holidays) – increasing with length of service
- Local Government pension scheme – with employer contributions
- Role specific training
- Continuous professional development
Our PCSO recruitment process includes the below stages:
- Online application form.
- Initial eligibility check – please review the eligibility criteria to confirm you are eligible.
- College of Policing National Sift – all details will be sent to you at this stage.
- Competency based interview.
- Pre-employment checks including employment references, medical, vetting and biometrics.
- Final offer confirming start date.
- Applicants must have a minimum of Grade 2 (GCSE Grade E) or equivalent in both Maths and English. This ensures that candidates have a basic level of literacy and numeracy needed to undertake the apprenticeship training and carry out the role effectively. Applicants who meet this minimum requirement can apply; however, if they are aged 18 or under and do not already hold a minimum of Grade 4 (C) or Level 2 equivalent in Maths and English, they will be required to achieve these qualifications before completing the apprenticeship. Support will be provided during the apprenticeship to ensure they reach the required standard as part of their overall development.
- You must be 17 years of age or older at time of application and 18 years of age at the time you are appointed to the role.
- We won’t accept applications from anyone who is, or has been, a member of the BNP or similar organisations.
- You must be a British citizen, an EC/EEA national or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with no restrictions on your stay in the United Kingdom. Foreign nationals and UK citizens who have lived abroad may have to wait some time for security and vetting clearance. All applicants have to be vetted to the same standard before appointment.
- Criminal record – A number of crimes will mean a definite or likely rejection of your application, including anyone who has received a formal caution in the last five years, committed a violent crime or public order offence.
- Financial status - We will check applicants' financial status. If you have outstanding County Court Judgments (CCJs) or been registered bankrupt with outstanding debts, you will be rejected. If you have discharged bankruptcy debts, you will need to provide a Certificate of Satisfaction with your application.
- Health and fitness - You must be physically and mentally able to undertake police duties. You will need to complete a medical history questionnaire and have an eyesight test before your appointment can be confirmed.
- Applicants should be aware that they should not have any tattoos that could cause offence to members of the public or colleagues or are discriminatory in anyway, lewd, crude, violent in nature or show allegiance to any unacceptable organisations. In summary, tattoos are not acceptable if they undermine the dignity of Merseyside Police or are not feasibly coverable if they are on the neck or face. All tattoos will be reviewed to ensure they adhere to our dress and appearance policy.
Hear from our PCSO's
Frequently Asked Questions
- Key role is to engage with the communities within their designated beat. A PCSO will have regular contact with members of the public, community groups and partners that work within our local communities. For example, a PCSO may work with, Local Authority/Council Teams, Housing Associations, schools, young people, support networks and groups that work in those communities.
- Crime reduction and provide reassurance – you will not have a power of arrest or take on more high-risk tasks that a Police Officer would perform but will play a critical role in helping to reduce crime and provide reassurance to our communities.
- Provide crime prevention and safety advice to victims of crime and at police and community organised events
- Support front-line operational policing.
- Preserve evidence at crime scenes.
- Initial Training – 14 weeks classroom based and a two-week patrol experience working in the community where you will be able to observe PCSO’s working in those communities.
- On completion of initial training a PCSO will undertake a 6-week tutored phase working alongside an experienced PCSO. They will then work towards the successful completion of your diploma.
- Be able to work towards a Level 4 professional qualification (Level 4) – The Diploma in Community Policing practice.
- Support and guidance is available to attain other functional skills such as Maths and English qualifications if required.
- £27,204 to £29, 859 per annum for a 36.5 hour week and the role also offers 13.33% equalisation allowance. The salary goes up incrementally up to a maximum £27,351 per annum plus the allowance.
- Holidays – 33 days holidays (inclusive of bank holidays) – increasing with length of service.
- Pension – Local Government Pension Scheme– with employer contributions.
- Hours – Mixture of days and late shifts (not past 10pm). This includes 1 weekend in the shift pattern (sample shift pattern below).
