Graduation day for Northamptonshire's first police apprentices

Northamptonshire Police has rolled out the first 12 officers off its apprenticeship scheme.

The dozen graduated last week after finishing the first ever Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) at the University of Northampton.

They were all officially sworn in at police HQ in November 2019 at the start of a three-year course blending on-the-job learning with academic theory and knowledge building on campus.

Chief Constable Nick Adderley said: “This is a significant achievement for the student officers and I want to congratulate them on their success.

"Not only did they join a brand-new course, embark on a new career, balance practical real life policing together with academic studies, but they also accomplished this during a global pandemic.

"I now look forward to seeing how they develop and grow into the wider policing family.”

The students were deployed to incidents county-wide and used the specialist ‘Hydra’ Immersive Learning System, which uses technology to immerse students in critical situations to develop their skills in decision making.

UoN designed the apprenticeship programme to develop students’ theoretical knowledge of criminology, evidence-based policing, supporting vulnerable people, dealing with cyber-crime and crime prevention, as well as legislation, procedures, and police law.

Karen Jones, Dean of the Faculty of Business and Law at the university, said: “I’m incredibly proud to celebrate the success of this first cohort of the PCDA students as they graduate.

"This is a significant achievement for them all and their journey has not been easy.

"While many of us were locked down, these students maintained their operational duties and academic studies throughout the pandemic. It is a huge testament to their tenacity, adaptability, resilience, and commitment, all vital qualities for a career in policing.”

PCDAs are one of three routes people can take to becoming a police officer. Click HERE to find out more.