This two-year programme also sees you achieve a Level 6 - Post-Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice but, as you'd expect, learning is biased towards an investigative perspective. It's a more intense programme, as you also need to successfully complete the National Investigators Examination and meet PIP2 assessment criteria in order to become a Professionalising Investigation Programme Level 2 (PIP2) accredited detective.
Some forces offer 'Fast Track Detective Pathways' where candidates spend a period of time in uniform before they start their investigator pathway. Other forces offer a 'Direct Entry Detective Pathway' where candidates start in an investigation role. Speak to the force you're looking to apply to directly to find out what's on offer.
Police Now also offers a two-year National Detective Programme, which starts off with 12 weeks of Detective Academy training before an eight-week stint in uniform with your chosen police force. You'll then move into a series of CID placements. Throughout your training, you'll be guided and supported by a Police Now Leadership Development Officer, as well as your force line manager.
Some forces are also still offering the Traditional (IPLDP) entry route, which can be accessed by graduates and non-graduates. It’s being phased out but if your chosen force is still offering it for now, it might still be the best route for you.
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