Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)

Once you’ve successfully completed your probationary period (2 years for PCEP / 3 years for apprenticeship scheme), you have the opportunity to progress up through the following ranks:

• Police Constable / Detective Constable - this is the starting rank for police officers
• Sergeant / Detective Sergeant - the first supervisory rank. Most sergeants are responsible for a team of constables
• Inspector / Detective Inspector - inspectors typically oversee a shift of constables and sergeants.
• Chief Inspector / Detective Chief Inspector - typically responsible for managing a department with a specific geographical area or for the delivery of a policing service
• Superintendent / Detective Superintendent - typically responsible for a large department within Leicestershire Police, for example, Corporate Services or Specialist Operations Training
• Chief Superintendent / Detective Chief Superintendent - typically responsible for a specific function within Leicestershire Police, for example, Local Policing or Crime & Intelligence
• Assistant Chief Constable - Mainly responsible for a specific function or business area within Leicestershire Police, for example, Crime and Operations
• Deputy Chief Constable - act as deputy for the Chief Constable, handling the running of Leicestershire Police and supporting the Chief Constable
• Chief Constable - responsible for the effective running of Leicestershire Police

As a police constable, you’ll also be able to apply for specialist units like the Criminal Investigation Department (CID), firearms, child protection, cyber crime, roads policing, dog handling and many more...

"If you embrace it, you're going to have a really rewarding career"

Career pathways

Visit the College of Policing Career Pathways portal to find out how your policing career could progress.