What is the Accelerated detective entry route?
Become one of Cambridgeshire's future detectives
We are offering an exciting opportunity to join us and to train to become a detective constable.
Applicants require a degree and the programme is delivered in partnership with Anglia Ruskin University (ARU).
The pathway will see you become a trained detective constable within the initial two-year probation period, and you will be awarded a graduate diploma in professional policing skill.
Recruits will be supported throughout by ARU, experienced police officers and detective tutors.
The entry pathway & application
The Accelerated detective entry route is an alternative to the traditional path of joining as a police constable and working towards becoming a detective following the two-year probation. It is a challenging process but also incredibly rewarding as you are able to work alongside experienced detectives.
We are looking to recruit the most talented individuals with the right qualities.
This role is both varied and interesting, allowing you to work on a multitude of different investigations including burglaries, robberies, sexual offences including rape, child abuse and serious assaults.
Securing positive outcomes at court for victims of crime is incredibly rewarding and this role will put you at the forefront of investigations as you learn to perform the role of officer in the case (OIC), managing multiple investigations at one time.
To be successful you will need personal qualities including personal resilience, an eye for detail, compassion, emotional intelligence and a strong work ethic.
Eight step process
The eight steps to becoming a Detective Constable through the Accelerated detective entry route:
Completion of application process
From day one you will be attested and wearing uniform. The focus of your first year is to learn your laws, powers and all the basic knowledge and theory of response policing.
You will spend your first 27 weeks in training school (including two weeks of fixed annual leave). During this time, we will prepare you for your both your frontline placement and your detective roles in year 2. You will have a structured timetable which teaches foundation policing skills including Personal Safety and how to use our systems. We will prepare and support you to take your National Investigators Exam, and there will be a number of different assessments to complete as part of your university studies.
Once you pass out from training school, you will spend the remainder of Year 1 in a frontline response team. Being able to apply your knowledge and skills in practice is a very important. All officers have to complete a work based assessment portfolio – the first level is “safe and lawful” – you will work alongside a tutor constable who will provide feedback on your practice and help you to feel confident in your application of knowledge and decision making. Once you achieve Independent Patrol Status, you will be a deployable resource and you will continue to carry a workload which helps you evidence Full Occupational Competence. You have approximately eighteen months to achieve this element of the qualification.
In Year 2 – you come back to training school for four weeks. This delivery is written specifically for trainee detectives and is a mix of knowledge and practical skills such as interviewing. Again, to practice what you have learnt, you will then join a volume crime team. Under the supervision of a Detective Sergeant, who is a trained mentor, and who will oversee your workload mix to ensure you have a variety of experiences and good evidence to submit to your Investigators Portfolio, you will learn the foundation skills of a detective.
For the final five months of year 2, you will join a specialist crime team. Your learning journey will continue with some academic delivery and assignments to complete. The principal aim of this placement is to increase the opportunities for involvement in more complex investigations and to provide the higher-level evidence required for your portfolio.
To achieve Detective status within your probation period (two years), you will have to pass all of the above requirements, otherwise, subject to passing the academic assessment plan, you will be confirmed as a Police Constable instead.
During your learning pathway, you will be mentored, supported and coached by a team of professionals including Anglia Ruskin University and internal policing teams.
In year 2 you will be part of an investigations carousel working within a number of different departments to build up skills and experience. This will include time working within Intelligence teams and Safeguarding. This will be working as a Trainee Detective Constable.
Modular training will be provided throughout the year, including investigative interviewing and safeguarding.
Complete a PIP2 portfolio to demonstrate competence and to be signed off as a Detective Constable.