The PPD route is for individuals who have either a degree in professional policing, or who are in their final year of study. This route involves two years of training.
During the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) course, students gain the knowledge and academic theory behind professional policing.
Once you have successfully completed the course, you can apply to join as a new police officer, putting the theory you have learned into practice.
Eligibility and suitability
Police officer eligibility criteria and quizzes for suitability can be found on our is a career in policing right for me page.
In addition to the officer eligibility criteria, individuals must have already achieved a Degree in Professional Policing (within the last five years) or be working towards a Degree in Professional Policing and have their predicted final grade.
What makes a good police officer?
For an overview of an officer’s typical day-to-day tasks and what Avon and Somerset Police expect from officers, see our what makes a good police officer page.
Pay scales
Candidates joining through the PPD route will commence on pay point 1 of the police constable pay scales. This will increase annually on the anniversary of your joining date.
- Year 1 (pay point 1): £29,907
- Year 2 (pay point 2): £31,164
After probation, this will move to a performance-related pay scale.
Programme hours
As a police officer, you will be contracted to work 40 hours per week and both your classroom and on-the-job training is included in these working hours.
While in tutorship and working as an operational police officer, you will work to a 24/7 shift pattern consisting of:
• two early shifts (07:00 to 16:00)
• two late shifts (14:30 to 23:00) and
• two nights (22:00 to 07:00) followed by rest days
Flexible working patterns will be considered against the requirements of service delivery but periods of learning delivery will be in 40 hour week blocks.
Programme structure
In your first six weeks, you will undertake personal protection training, driver training, system training as well as classroom learning based at Police Headquarters in Portishead.
After this initial period, you will enter into tutorship working with a 24/7 response team to put your acquired skills and knowledge into practice in order to achieve Independent police status (If you have already achieved this by serving as a special constable you will receive coaching and mentoring on your team).
You will then follow a programme to achieve full occupational competence over a two-year probation period.
Recruitment process
Read our step-by-step recruitment process for police officers.
Ready to join us?
Stay up to date
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Alternative routes into policing and frontline services
Explore other routes into policing, or read about our wide range of police staff role opportunities such as PCSOs, Communication Centre roles and other specialist staff roles.
To make a recruitment-related query, contact our Talent Acquisition team.