What is the Graduate Detective Entry Programme?

Traditionally, the conventional way to become a detective was to join the police force as a uniformed police constable and then apply to become a detective but you now have the opportunity to join a police force directly as a detective.

How long is the programme?

The programme lasts two years and is designed to equip you with the skills and training necessary to ensure you will have the experience and confidence to deal with serious and complex investigations as a fully-fledged Detective Constable.

What academic qualifications do I need?

You will need to have completed or be predicted to achieve, a degree course to a minimum 2:2 undergraduate degree from a university in the UK, or an equivalent from a non-UK university.

If I am accepted onto the Graduate Detective Entry Programme, what further training will I undertake?

You will be placed on a programme that lasts for two years and participants on the programme are required to pass the National Investigators’ Exam (NIE) in the first six months of the programme and achieve full Professionalising Investigation Programme Stage 2 (PIP2) accreditation by programme completion.

What does a detective do?

Detectives have an operational role where they investigate crime, usually dealing with the more serious and complex cases. They will analyse and obtain evidence, interview suspects, securing vital evidence. The types of crimes they deal with vary enormously from domestic abuse, serious assault and many more crimes. It is a demanding and challenging role but you have the opportunity to make a significant difference, protecting our communities and bringing offenders to justice.

Once you have qualified as a detective you can specialise in other areas such as fraud, counter terrorism, and child protection.

What does a detective do?

The role of a detective constable is not too dissimilar to the role of police constable; both are of the same rank, but have different operational roles. As a detective, you’ll deal with more serious and complex cases, uncovering the truth and analysing evidence on cases from fraud, domestic abuse to county lines and serious assaults, plus many more.