Professional Policing Degree (PPD)
The PPD route is for individuals who are in their final year of, or who have completed a degree in professional policing at university. This route involves two years of training.
During this 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
For details of officer eligibility, quizzes for suitability as well as support and benefits of becoming an officer see our is policing with right for me? page.
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 one of the police constable pay scales. This will increase annually on the anniversary of your joining date.
- Year 1 (pay point 1): £28,551
- Year 2 (pay point 2): £29,751
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 aligns to 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 (07:00-16:00)
• two late shifts (14:30-23:00) and
• two nights (22:00-07:00) 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 6 weeks, you will undertake personal protection training, driver training, system training as well as classroom learning based at Police Headquarters.
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.
Ready to join us?
If you already hold or are studying for a Professional Policing Degree, you can register your interest for this entry route by contacting our Talent Acquisition team.
Stay up to date
Find out about our latest vacancies by registering for our job alert email service, or join our Talent Bank to be contacted about suitable vacancies. Alternatively, explore other routes into policing.
To make a recruitment-related query, contact our Talent Acquisition team.