Detective Constable Entry Programme

Our new and exciting Detective Constable Entry Programme (DCEP) is your opportunity to become a fully accredited detective in just two and a half years; helping us achieve our policing priorities of preventing and responding to crime, helping and protecting vulnerable people and using your skills to bring justice for victims.

As a detective you will deal with some of the most serious crimes possible. From fraud, serious assaults and child protection, through to homicide, high level drugs importation and domestic abuse; you will analyse the evidence, interview suspects and uncover the truth.

If you have the compassion to help build trusting relationships; the tenacity to see a case through from start to finish; the desire to get justice for victims and the emotional resilience to keep calm, yet confident, then a detective career could be for you. This is an intensive course, which will require commitment and dedication to both serving the public and meeting the demands of the development programme. In return, we promise a good starting salary, supportive working environment, great training experiences and opportunities for progression.

All applicants must:

• Be aged 17 years or older (you must be 18 by the time you are appointed).
• Be a British citizen, a citizen of a country that is a member of the European Economic Area or Switzerland, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national who is resident in the UK and free from restrictions.
• Have been resident in the UK for the past five years.
• Have a full manual driving licence (by the time of appointment).
• Not have six penalty points or more on your driving licence.
• Not have tattoos which could cause offence.
• Not be registered bankrupt (or have bankruptcy debts that have been discharged within the past three years).
• Be able to pass a job-related fitness test.
• Be able to pass a medical screening and meet the minimum eyesight standards.
• Not be a current or previous member of a proscribed terroristorganisation or group.

To be considered for entry to the DCEP, applicants must provide copies of the following qualifications:

• One A Level Grade A*-C or Level 3 equivalent and one A Level Grade A*-E, or AS Level in a different subject, or Level 3 equivalent. You must have a minimum overall of 48 UCAS points. (you can check how many points your qualification is worth on the UCAS tariff calculator). Or a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing.

• You must also hold GCSE Grade A*-C/4-9 or Level 2 functional skills in English or education equivalent at point of application. Degree Holders do not need to provide a Level 2 English qualification unless your degree was taught and assessed in a language other than English.

• Applicants who are in their final year of studying towards Level 3 qualifications can apply with predicated grades. You will be asked to provide proof of their qualifications when you receive your results in August.

Applicants without Level 3 qualifications can be considered if you have served in an emergency services role, military, armed forces or similar law enforcement agency considered to be operational by Sussex Police for a minimum of 2 years within the past 5 years and have an exemplary reference.

Applicants who do not hit the above Level 3 criteria and believe they have current experience equivalent to a Level 3 qualification, will be assessed on a case-by-case basis so please apply.

Applicants that are in their final year of study, can apply with predicated grades. Applicants will be asked to provide proof of their qualifications when they receive their results in August.

You will be required to upload and attach your relevant qualification certificates when you apply.

I haven’t got my qualification certificates – am I still eligible?

We need to see evidence, so you will need to request a certificate from your exam board. You can find more information here on gov.uk. 

I am currently studying can I still apply?

Applicants in their final year of study can apply. You will need to upload a copy of your predicated grades when you apply.

Does the grade of my level 3 qualification matter?

To be considered for entry to the DCEP, applicants must provide copies of the following qualifications:

• One A Level Grade A*-C or Level 3 equivalent and one A Level Grade A*-E, or AS Level in a different subject, or Level 3 equivalent. You must have a minimum overall of 48 UCAS points. (you can check how many points your qualification is worth on the UCAS tariff calculator). Or a Certificate in Knowledge of Policing.

Does the subject of my Level 3 or above matter?

No – we can accept Level 3s in any subject.      

I have a qualification from another country – will it still count?

You’ll need to provide evidence that your qualification is equivalent to or higher than the qualification(s) that are required for the appropriate entry route. For the UK and European countries you can check on the gov.uk website.

For qualifications from other countries we’ll need a translation of any certificates that are not in English and you may need to provide evidence of the comparative level, a formal Statement of Comparability can be purchased via ENIC.

• At Surrey Police, size is our advantage. As a smaller force we have a real family feel where it is easier to network and easier for us to support you in being the best you can be.

  We can offer you:

  • A starting salary of £34,164 and includes a £3,000 South East allowance with the potential to rise to £53,256 (including a South East allowance of £3,000) within the first seven years.
  • 25 days per year annual leave, rising to 30 days a year depending on your length of service.
  • Progressive approach to flexible working, enhanced maternity and paternity leave and potential for a career break (after three years’ service).
  • Opportunity to join various support networks, staff associations and sports clubs.
  • A competitive benefits package including pension, flexible benefits, fuel card, employee assistance programme for advice and counselling, access to discounts / savings / cash-back rewards.
  • Career development opportunities including the chance to specialise or to progress through the ranks.
  • Free bus travel across Surrey.

  This is just a selection of our benefits, now find out more.

So you want to join us as a Detective?

The application process consists of several stages and it’s important to note that because of this, the average time from application to appointment is between 8–10 months.

The different steps of the recruitment process are detailed below, so you know what to expect at each stage.

Stage One: Application form

• Your personal details will be checked and that all eligibility criteria has been met.

Stage Two: National sift involving Behavioural Style Questionnaire (BSQ) And Situational Judgement Test (SJT)

• A multiple-choice assessment, which will assess whether you have the right behavioural traits to work as a Police Constable.

Stage Three: Online Assessment Centre

• Online video competency-based interview – this interview will be based upon the competency and values framework.
• Briefing exercise – you will be presented with a short brief and have to prepare your responses to key questions.
• Written exercise – you will be provided with information and will be asked to provide written responses.

Stage Four: Detective Assessment

The assessment will consist of:

• In-Tray Exercise - you will be asked to prepare and deliver a verbal briefing to a panel based on a series of documents and information provided to you. 
• Based on the Competency and Values Framework.

Stage Five: Pre-employment checks

This is when we begin our pre-employment checks which consist of a medical, vetting, biometric vetting, substance misuse and a fitness test.

• Fitness Test: you will need to obtain level 5.4 in the bleep test. More details on the test and preparation for the test can be found on our Job Related Fitness Test (JRFT) page.
• Medical: you will be required to complete a questionnaire with your medical history.
• Biometric Vetting: we will take your fingerprints, DNA, and check them against the appropriate database.
• Substance Misuse: We will also collect a sample of hair to test for the presence of inappropriate substances.
• Vetting: this will assess you and your families’ criminal record, financial status and business interests.
• References: we'll ask for references from each of your previous employers and/or educational establishments for the last five years. Any gaps in employment will need to be explained and verified. If you haven't been in employment for five years, we'll ask for a character or educational reference.

The Detective Constable Entry Programme is a new entry route into policing. These entry routes recognise police officers operate at a level where they take personal responsibility for decisions in complex, unpredictable environments and help provide the skills and capabilities necessary for policing in the 21^st Century.

You will be employed as a Police Officer from day one, gaining valuable experience of the police officer role while studying towards your accreditation as a detective and your graduate diploma in professional policing practice.

Training will initially be at Surrey Police Headquarters in Guildford, where you will gain the fundamental skills and knowledge you need to succeed. You will then be posted to a borough, applying what you have learnt and, with the support of your coaching and development officer, take on your first cases.

You will also be required to sit the National Investigators’ Examination; a multiple choice exam which is designed to ensure individuals have the right knowledge, understanding and application of relevant law and procedure to perform effectively as a detective.

Our ability to build trust, understand problems and support our communities across a range of policing matters, relies on us having a workforce that is reflective of our communities and all the unique individuals that exist within them. We are committed to promoting equality and diversity within our workforce and to eliminating discrimination.

We are very keen to encourage applications from those that have never considered policing as a career. Representation within our workforce from black and minority ethnic communities is currently much lower than we want it to be; by improving this we will be better able to serve our local communities and our work place will benefit from all the differences in thinking, points of view, and approaches that diversity brings.

We are actively working on a range of activities to improve this and one of the proactive ways we are seeking to increase representation is via a bespoke mentoring scheme which is aimed at guiding applicants from diverse communities through the recruitment process.

For more information email [email protected]/

If you have any further questions, we're happy to answer them - please contact [email protected].

To join Surrey Police in any role you will need to prove your right to work in the UK.

Do I have right to work in the UK?

Your right to work in the UK depends on your immigration status - this is also called your ‘leave’. If you don’t have the right to work, you might be able to apply for it.

You automatically have the right to work in the UK if:

• You’re a British or Irish citizen
• You have pre-settled or settled status from the EU Settlement Scheme - or you’ve applied and you’re waiting for a decision
• You have a family permit from the EU Settlement Scheme
• You have indefinite leave to enter or remain in the UK
• You have right of abode in the UK

You might have a right to work in the UK if you have a visa with a time limit. This is called having 'limited leave to enter or remain’. 

If you entered the UK illegally or your leave has ended, you don’t have the right to work in the UK.

Proving your right to work in the UK

You might be able to prove your right to work online or by showing your employer certain documents. Any document you show your employer must be:

• Valid - you can’t use a document that’s expired unless it’s a British or Irish passport
• The original document - you can’t use a copy, however you can use a replacement birth certificate if you have lost the original.
• If your document is expiring soon and you’ve applied to extend your leave, you can still prove your right to work. You might need to use a different document or ask your employer to contact the Home Office Employer Checking Service (ECS) - it depends what kind of leave you have.

For further information about Right to work in the UK, please refer to the GOV.UK webpages.

I used to work as a recruitment consultant but I didn’t want to work in an office anymore. I was very much in the rat race rather than helping anybody.

I realised I had a lot of transferable skills, for example being able to interview people.

When I joined I assumed I would be a response officer forever. I didn’t know what detectives did. But I have many careers within a career since.

If you ever get to the point where you need a change there’s such a wide range of roles, there’s something for everybody.

Some people might have a passion as a detective in child protection, but I like putting away the armed robbers and drug dealers.

You have the ownership to be able to investigate a case and it can take you all over the country. When you get a good result in court it’s such a satisfaction, not just for the officer but because you can tell a victim that they are safe.

“The jobs we work on are really interesting and when a job comes in, it’s a proper team effort. As detectives we work on the things you join to be involved in, where you get to put away really bad people for a long period of time. Looking back, I wouldn’t have done anything else.”

“To be a detective, you have to be dogged and not let things lie. You also have to be organised. The best thing for me is seeing something through from the start to finish. The case that stands out for me is a violent attack. After lots of hard work and thanks to the bravery of the victim, the main perpetrator was jailed. To go to the victim’s house and give her that news was a great, great feeling.”

“I transferred to Surrey Police from the Met last April. I was working on child abuse before but I wanted to have a change and move into a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) as this was an area I had not worked in before.

“The great thing about CID is that you work as part of a team, whereas before I was often on my own. In CID you are given a job to work on together and you can celebrate your successes together.

“Surrey has various benefits  – it offers a lot in the way of financial motivation. You get financial rewards when you pass the different stages of exams and when you finally get signed off as a detective.

“Surrey is obviously a much smaller force than the Met but it means you get to know everyone which is lovely.”