First police students on the degree holder entry programme hit the streets of Bedfordshire

The first students on the force’s newly introduced degree holder entry programme have graduated initial training and will start patrolling the streets of Bedfordshire in the coming days.

The degree holder entry programme is a national programme that has been newly introduced to Bedfordshire Police. It is a two-year programme for degree holders to become a police officer and gain a tangible qualification in the shape of a diploma.

Some of the new officers have come straight from a university background and others have worked as an archaeologist, student advisor, IT Engineer and in customer service before joining the police.

One of the students studied law and criminology at university but realised she wanted to put her degree to use making a difference on the front line rather than being in an office-based role.

The students have gone through 22 weeks of classroom-based training that covers the basics of policing and to prepare them for their first shifts in response. The training included role plays and personal safety training.

Now they have graduated, they will move onto response and be with a tutor on a one-to-one basis until they and the force feel comfortable and confident in their abilities to go out and work on their own and with other experienced officers.

Chief Inspector Emma Nicol, from the People and Workforce Development team said: “The new students will bring new and different perspectives to policing. They have gone down the university route and have different life and learning experiences to many of our previous student officers. We hope this new perspective and knowledge will enhance our offering to all our communities.

“I wish the new students every success as they start finding their feet in policing. It’s a tough transition but we will give them the support and guidance they need to pass their two-year journey and become well rounded officers.”

Once the students complete their two-year training programme, they will be able to start their policing career and move into different teams. The force provides training and mentoring to help staff and officers grow in their professional lives.

Whether officers would like to specialise in an area, work with the community or climb up the ranks, the possibilities are there.

We are actively recruiting people to join them on the degree holder entry programme. If you have a degree and would like to do something amazing with it by joining the police and make Bedfordshire a better place, visit our careers pages and apply today.