It was announced today that from 2020 all new police officers in England and Wales will have to be educated to degree level.

Will I have to go to university to become a police officer?

The announcement does not mean that you will have to study full time at university to become a police officer. The other options for a career in policing are a three-year degree apprenticeship and a six-month post graduate conversion course.

Why have the College of Policing decided that new officers should have a degree?

Chief Constable Alex Marshall of the College of Policing explains that,

The nature of police work is getting quite complex and it is quite contentious, and the public expectation is that you’ll be patrolling in my street and, by the way, you’ll be patrolling online.”

What will I study on a policing degree?

The suggestion is that study will cover the law, safeguarding, understanding how an officer behaves on the street and how an officer builds trust within communities.

Why is it important (and good) that there is an apprenticeship route into policing?

It is very important and good that the decision has been taken to offer a three-year degree apprenticeship route into policing, allowing officers in training to work on the frontline, earn a salary and gain a degree. This is especially important for policing roles because if it is true that those from less affluent backgrounds are being deterred from studying at university because of the costs associated with full time study then there would be a danger that we could have ended up with a police force which lacked diversity – so the policing degree apprenticeship is good news.