PC Grace Bremner

Grace is a student officer on our Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) pathway.

Joining the police was a long-term goal of mine as I have always wanted to push myself into a challenging career while providing support and help to the most vulnerable. During the second year of my A-levels I completed a work experience day in the Multi Agency Safeguarding Hub, also known as the MASH, which confirmed my interests in policing.

The concept of the degree apprenticeship was a very important aspect for me as I wanted to achieve a degree, however, did not like the idea of attending university full time and I wanted to start a career.

I am now a few months into my second year. The assignments so far have been varied, ranging from writing essays to creating presentations around community policing. I have also completed seven months on response policing, as well as an eight-week attachment on the Neighbourhood Policing Team. I am currently on an attachment on the Volume Crime Team, however, it is very early days. I have really enjoyed my time so far and have found that having the support of colleagues and line managers has massively benefitted my learning and experiences.

At times I have struggled with balancing my university work alongside my shift pattern, however, once you get settled you develop a routine that is beneficial for the way in which you work best.  My experiences so far have been challenging, rewarding and very different.

Going back to the application process, for me, it was challenging at times but you feel a great sense of achievement after completing each stage. The first stage was completing a form which asked you about how you have showed different values throughout your life, such as professionalism and helping others, and why you wanted to join Cambridgeshire Constabulary in particular.

This part of the process was the longest: I submitted my application in May 2021 and heard that my application had been accepted in July 2021. At the beginning of August 2021, I completed the next stage called the National Search Assessments. This involves four different sections: a questionnaire known as the situational judgement test; a competency-based interview; a written exercise; and finally, a briefing exercise where you are given a situation and you explain how you would deal with it.

I received the results a couple of weeks later and was invited to take part in an interview, which involved two officers asking me a range of questions about the role. I found each stage had its own unique challenges; however, it is important to show your personality, passion, and interest in the role. Having not lived in Cambridgeshire my whole life I found it difficult to talk about the local area in detail but, fortunately, this was not a huge obstacle for me. I did my research, finding out more about the local area and explained my desire to work here.

After the interview you must pass a fitness test, which involves running to a level of 5.4 on the bleep test. I was also required to have a medical and drugs test, alongside being vetted. After these stages, if successful, you receive your final offer.

The training was daunting at first: there is a lot of legislation and law concepts to get your head around, yet it is extremely interesting at the same time. While you may feel it takes a long time to start understanding the legislation, you should not let this put you off as you feel a greater sense of reward once you have grasped the concepts.

I would recommend this course if you are passionate about policing and also want a degree; it is a great way to do both. You achieve a degree in Professional Policing at the end of your three-year programme, while also experiencing operational policing. It is a challenging, yet extremely rewarding course.