Staffordshire Police has launched its first ever Detective Constable Degree Holder Entry Programme (DC DHEP) in partnership with Staffordshire University this week.

Thirty new student officers took their attestation and were sworn in as police officers yesterday (Wednesday 25 November).

The force and Staffordshire University have worked in partnership to deliver the course, which is accredited by the College of Policing.

It offers a two-year intensive programme which combines a mix of on-the-job practical policing experience with detective teams, alongside academic tutoring and rotations in different departments.

After initial structured classroom training, they will spend time with response and neighbourhood policing teams, before being posted as a detective constable in the force's investigations directorate.

Once the students have successfully completed the course, they will be awarded a Level 6 Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice by Staffordshire University and a PIP 2 Detective delivered under licence by the College of Policing. They will then be posted as a Detective Constable in the force's investigations directorate.

Since June 2019 the force has enrolled 215 student officers, with the partnership with Staffordshire University supporting two routes into policing - the Degree Holder Entry Programme and to gain a degree as part of the training (Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship).

Chief Constable Gareth Morgan said: "No working day will be the same for these officers. One morning they may be dealing with a victim of criminal exploitation. By the afternoon they may be helping in the search of a high-risk person. The next day, they may be interviewing a suspect for a robbery or dealing with gang-related knife crime.

"The landscape for learning to become a police officer has changed and our regional partnership with Staffordshire University will enable the officers to gain a diploma in Professional Policing Practice whilst becoming operationally competent on the job.

"They will become accredited for the skills they require as a detective constable and use them in their day-to-day role, with greater insight, understanding and learning of the challenges policing faces now and in the future."

Senior Lecturer for Staffordshire University's Institute of Policing, Rob Smallwood, said: "It's wonderful to have such a talented group of aspiring Detective Constables joining the force through this new route.

"I had the pleasure of getting to know them at their induction and the transferable skills they bring from their previous jobs and degree qualifications are sure to serve them well in their new careers.

"They're a credit to their communities, Staffordshire University, and their force, and I am looking forward to supporting them through their training."