We are inviting talented people from all backgrounds to consider joining us to become a Detective Constable and we are delighted you are visiting our careers site to find out more about the role. 

To apply to become a Detective Constable, we offer the Graduate Detective Programme (GDP). You must hold a Level 6 bachelor’s degree (or higher) to be eligible to apply.

If you are more interested in a career in police constable in response, please check our other open vacancy for Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP).

Those that already have a BSc (Hons) Professional Policing Practice from a College of Policing supported university can apply to GDP via this application or DHEP via the other open vacancy.

Please read through the full eligibility criteria here before submitting an application: In addition to meeting general requirements on education and vetting criteria, it is important you understand the physical and mental demands of the role and must read all information regarding previous and existing conditions carefully before you choose to apply.

If you haven't already, we recommend researching the Police Constable pages of our careers website in full to find out more about the programme, preparing for the role and the eligibility requirements. 

To support your application, we invite you to attend one of our events where we go through the role, the different entry routes, and the application process. The events are not mandatory, and you can submit your application at any point, however we recommend joining one of the events so that you can be fully informed of the demands and expectations of this extraordinary role and have the opportunity to ask any questions you may have.

You can sign up for them through our Eventbrite page here:

If you are unable to attend one of these, please click  here for a very informative video from our senior officers on becoming a police officer, and for further information please see the role profile here. 

How to apply

Once you have done your research, the first stage of the application process is to click the apply icon below to register and complete your application.

You will complete your personal and professional details and must submit certificate copies of the required qualifications and your driving license with your application. You will also declare any previous cautions and convictions and submit pictures of any visible tattoos for review.

Once your application has been reviewed and accepted, we will be in touch with the next steps of your application journey:

Recruitment steps for Police Officer (PCDA/DHEP/GDP) - please note that the interview with Northumbria Police and College of Policing's Online assessments can be in different order or overlap:

1. Northumbria Police:

Registered, application not submitted

Application submitted

Application review

Eligibility check

1. College of Policing:

National sift

Online assessments

1. Northumbria Police:

Interview

Conditional offer

Pre-employment checks

              Medical

              Job-related fitness test

              Vetting

              DNA & fingerprints

Final offer

              References

The whole recruitment process can take several months to over a year, and unfortunately not all make it the first time, so if you are passionate about this career, please bear patience as it is a long journey!

If you have any questions about applying for the role of Detective Constable, please contact the Talent Acquisition Team on jointeamnp@northumbria.police.uk

Terms and Conditions

Vetting Level - Recruitment Vetting (RV)

Applicants must be a resident of the UK for a minimum period of 3 years to ensure vetting checks can be successfully performed.  A job offer will be dependent upon vetting clearance, medical information and references.

Full UK manual driving license

You must have a full UK manual driving licence, but we do accommodate for applicants who don’t drive due to a disability.

Please make sure you have read through and understood the full eligibility criteria before you apply.  

Benefits

In return for your dedication and experience, we offer 22 days’ leave, excluding bank holidays, increasing to 30 days for 5 years+ service.  We support our people inside and out of work – offering a very competitive pension scheme and discounts on shopping and eating out thanks to the Blue Light Card. Also, to take care of your physical and mental wellbeing, we’ve invested in extensive paid sick leave, trained mental health first aiders on-site, an employee advice service and access to gyms in some stations.

Diversity, Equality and Inclusion

At Northumbria Police we are all different and that’s our greatest strength. We draw on the differences in who we are, what we’ve experienced and how we think. We protect and serve everyone and therefore believe in including everyone. We welcome applications from suitably qualified people from all areas of the community as appointments are based solely on merit.

Thank you again for your interest and good luck with your application!

To apply to the Graduate Detective Programme, click APPLY at the bottom of this page.