A New Generation of Police Officers: Experiences of Student Officers Undertaking the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship in One UK Police Force

Abstract

Abstract The Policing Vision 2025 and 2030 outlined long-term strategies to ensure consistency and accreditation in those joining policing careers in England and Wales, standardizing the qualifications obtained by all new recruits. The Police Educational Qualifications Framework has since been designed to support this vision, enabling three new entry routes into policing, one being the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship. This resulted in policing becoming a graduate profession from 2020, which is argued to be a radical transformation for policing. This research conducted focus groups and thematic analysis with three cohorts of student police officers (N = 30) undertaking the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) at different stages of their programme in one police force. It unpicked motivations for joining the PCDA, their experiences so far and improvements for future workings of the programme. The disconnect between policing and academia was a key barrier, and students could not always utilize the academic teaching in practical policing settings.