Police constable entry programme (PCEP) recruitment process

During the eligibility process, we must check you meet all the following criteria before you can continue with your application.

You must:

• be aged 17 or over
• have been a UK resident for the past three years continuously
• be either a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU, EAA, or Commonwealth or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK
• hold a full UK manual driving licence at the time of application. Full driving licenses need to be obtained before the course starts. If you are unlikely to pass your driving test before the course starts, your application will be rejected
• reside within the force boundaries from the first day of your appointment. You will be posted depending on organisational demand, anywhere within the force area. We expect you to reside within 30 miles or with a travelling time of up to 45 minutes from your posting
• have completed at least two years’ military service in the British armed forces. Applicants should either be released or due to be released from service, and be ready to start the PCEP by March 2025
• have at least a Level 2 in Maths, and at least a grade C or 4 in English language at time of application

You must not:

• have a County Court Judgement (CCJ), which has not been satisfied
• be currently declared bankrupt and for a period of three years afterwards
• be subject to a Debt Relief Order and for a period of three years afterwards
• be a member of certain national groups, for example, British National Party, Combat 18 or National Front
• have any tattoos which would cause offence
• have attended a College of Policing assessment centre in the last six months
• have had an unsuccessful application with another police force in the past six months
• have been placed on the Police Barred and Advisory Lists within five years from the date of listing in the case of gross misconduct, or three years from the date of listing in the case of poor performance
• have any criminal convictions or cautions (minor offences will be considered)

Additional qualification requirement

To apply for the PCEP, you must provide proof of your Level 2 or above qualifications.

If you are successful at the online eligibility stage, you will be required to complete an online application form.

You will need to fill in your personal details, employment history and references and upload your ID, proof of address and qualification.

If you have a disability or a neurodiverse condition (as defined by the Equalities Act 2010) we encourage you to tell us on your application so we can offer you support throughout the recruitment process.

When completing your application on our recruitment system, you can tick a box if you would like our Outreach Team to contact you to provide guidance and support.

The information you provide will be shared with our HR Advisory team, Occupational Health team and our Learning and Development Team. These teams will support you and ensure you have all the required measures in place to carry out your role.

If you are shortlisted

Once your application has gone through recruitment checks and has been shortlisted, a member of our Talent Acquisition team will contact you to discuss any reasonable adjustments and additional support you may need during the recruitment process.

In some circumstances you may be asked to provide supporting evidence or a diagnostic report.

If you require adjustments, these will be reviewed and signed off in conjunction with the College of Policing guidelines.

Following successful completion of the online assessment centre and recruitment checks, you will be offered a place on the PCEP course.

After you have been successful at the application stage, we will invite you to register with the College of Policing to complete the national sift.

Candidates will then be invited to attend a Familiarisation Event. The purpose of this compulsory event is to provide you with further information on:

• the learning programme
• the expected professional and ethical standards of a police officer
• the process of joining us

You will also have an opportunity to hear from our officers what it is like working for Avon and Somerset.

After you attend the familiarisation event, you will be:

• sent a link to register with the College of Policing
• invited to complete the national sift

When you pass the national sift, you will be invited to complete an online assessment.

This is a national process hosted by the College of Policing, which all police forces use when recruiting police officers.

The assessment will involve completing a variety of exercises including an interview, written exercise and a briefing exercise.

Following completion of the online assessment, you will be invited to attend an interview.

Further information regarding the in-force interview will be provided once you reach this stage.

After you have been shortlisted, you will be placed within a talent pool.

You will be invited to complete a number of pre-appointment checks at Police HQ in Portishead. These will include:

• a medical appointment
• biometrics testing (finger prints and DNA)
• drugs testing
• a fitness test
• vetting
• employer references

Candidates will be brought forward depending on the organisational demand at the time.

Pre-appointment checks will be staggered to ensure they do not expire prior to you being offered a course place.

Once you have completed your pre-appointment checks, you will receive a pre-course questionnaire. It is important you read this carefully, complete and return it as soon as possible.

After we receive your questionnaire and confirm it is satisfactory, we will look to offer you a place on the next available training course.

You will receive a verbal offer confirming your posting and course details.