“Whatever your interest, there’s almost certainly a role that will satisfy your ambitions – and that means for those who want to rise through the ranks too, with help and support to progress as high up in the organisation as you want to go.” Assistant Chief Constable Paul Gibson.

Here at Derbyshire Constabulary, we’re gearing up to recruit 140 brand new police officers onto our Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP). To make sure that our officers – and officers nationwide - are equipped with the skills, awareness and knowledge they need to meet the challenging and ever-evolving demands placing on policing, police officer recruitment is changing.

The Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) is a new, professional framework for the training of police officers and staff. New national recruitment guidelines set by the framework state that officers must be educated to degree level. Our Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) is part of this new national change in entry routes. To join the programme, you’ll now need to hold – or be about to gain – a degree (or equivalent qualification).

“Joining the police family will give you experiences you will be hard pushed to find in any other walk of life. From arresting criminals, saving towns from imminent disaster, to investigating complex crimes you will have a hand in making our county a safer place to live, work and visit.” Assistant Chief Constable Paul Gibson.

Becoming a police officer speaks for itself. As do the benefits. As a new recruit, you’ll gain an in-depth understand of the role of a police officer over the two years – both ‘on the job’ and at university. And when you’ve finished the programme, you’ll have a recognised diploma in policing under your belt. Plus, as a new police officer, you can look forward to an expected starting salary of around £24,174 – rising to more than £40,000 after seven years’ service.

In the words of Paul Gibson, Assistant Chief Constable: “Many officers find they love being in uniform – while others decide to take more specialist routes into areas such as firearms, roads policing, detective work or cybercrime. At the heart of what we are looking for in our new recruits are people who are compassionate, professional, have a strong sense of moral behaviour, a drive to help others and care for those most vulnerable individuals in our communities. We are also committed to ensuring that, as a force, we represent the diverse range of communities that we have in the county and support is available for those who may need extra help in completing the applications.”

You can find out more about the DHEP programme here.

Remember to get your application in before the deadline of Sunday 23 February 2020.