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Being a Detective is not only challenging, it’s extremely rewarding. You will be the difference that helps make Cheshire safer, serve our local communities and strive to achieve the right outcome for victims and their families.
Below explains all you need to know about becoming a police constable in Cheshire, or see our DCEP Information Booklet
You will be responsible for solving some of the most complex cases, and no two days will be the same or even cases. One day you could be analysing the evidence or preparing for court or talking to witnesses and the other interviewing suspects or working towards safeguarding a child or an adult.
DCEP has been designed so that after the completion of your initial training period, you will undertake a two week crime training course after which you will be posted into a Detective role - where you will commence your detective journey alongside our qualified detectives in force. This incredible opportunity will see you becoming a fully qualified Detective Constable by the end of your two year probation period.
As a Detective, you could find yourself dealing with crimes such as fraud, robbery and serious assaults. Or you may join one of our Vulnerability Hubs, protecting the most vulnerable adults and children across Cheshire. You may have the opportunity to work within Major Crime, investigating serious crimes such as homicides, or with our Serious Organised Crime Unit tackling high-level drug importation.
This is a unique opportunity for you to be a Detective at the very start of your career with Cheshire Constabulary. It 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 detective training experiences and opportunities for career progression. Not to mention the personal satisfaction and reward you will feel after helping those in need and bringing criminals to justice.
We are looking for candidates that are:
So if you think you have what it takes to uncover the truth and seek justice for those affected by crime, then let Cheshire help turn you into a Detective.
Detective Constables play a critical role in discovering the truth behind a crime. They gather, verify and assess all appropriate and available information to gain an accurate understanding of situations. They strive to achieve the desired outcomes for the victims and continue to provide reassurance and build confidence within the community.
Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act 1996 - “A Detective must pursue all reasonable lines of enquiry whether they point towards or away from a suspect”.
The role of a Detective Constable;
Resilience, determination and compassion provide a strong foundation in the making of a successful Detective.
To be eligible applicants must meet at least one of the following entry qualification criteria:
The minimum eligibility requirement to apply to for the Detective Constable Entry Programme with Cheshire Constabulary is for applicants:
Personal Eligibility
In addition to meeting at least one of the above 'Education eligibility' criteria, at the time of application candidates must also:
The Standards required of a Police Officer are laid out nationally in the Code of Ethics, which can be accessed via the College of Policing website.
Applicants will only be considered if they meet the above essential criteria.
By joining Cheshire Constabulary on the Detective Constable Entry Programme you can expect a diverse, challenging but fulfilling career.
Cheshire has a population of just over one million people and the policing area of Cheshire covers 919 square miles with strategic crossroads in the national motorway infrastructure.
As a Detective Constable with Cheshire Constabulary you’ll get the chance to make a difference and really contribute to the lives of the people in the community, build relationships and tackle crime. Your job will be to reduce crime and the fear of crime, and promote confidence among local people that the police understand and are prepared to deal with the issues that matter most to them.
If you’ve got what it takes, we can offer you a wide range of benefits and rewards.
Cheshire Constabulary is proud to offer a benefits package that provides a range of opportunities and options for all.
Salary
As a new Detective Constable, you’ll receive a starting salary of £29,907 potentially rising to £48,231 within your first 7 years.
Time Off
The starting annual leave entitlement is 25 days per year, rising to 30 days a year depending on your length of service. This is on top of public holidays in lieu. You can also expect other forms of leave, including maternity, paternity and adoption leave, special leave (with or without pay) and parental leave.
The security of a Police Pension
When you start as a new Detective Constable you’ll receive automatic membership of the police pension scheme. This isn't compulsory, so you can choose to opt out if you want to.
Career progression
Joining Cheshire Constabulary on the Detective Constable Entry Programme is the start of an exciting and rewarding journey that could take you anywhere.
This is a unique opportunity for you to be a Detective at the very start of your career with Cheshire Constabulary. DCEP has been designed so that after the completion of your initial training period of 18 weeks, you will undertake a 2-week Crime training course after which you will be posted into a Detective role where you will commence your detective journey where you will work alongside our experienced and qualified detectives in force and putting your training into practice as a Detective.
This unique opportunity will see you becoming a fully qualified Detective Constable by the end of your 2-year probation period.
You will undertake training and development sessions led by Crime Training where you will work towards completing Professionalising Investigation Programme One and Two. You will be required to complete and pass the National Investigators Exam, advanced Detective Training Course, and continue to work towards becoming a substantive detective constable. All of this will be achieved within your first two years, after which you will be successfully confirmed in the rank of detective constable.
Specialist roles
After becoming a Detective Constable, you will be able to build upon your experience or move into a variety of specialist detective roles dependent on your career aspirations and the vacancies across the force.
Postings
In agreeing to start with Cheshire Constabulary you are agreeing to our Posting Principles, which mean that you can be posted anywhere across the County. Our workforce planning team consider a range of information when deciding on your posting. As a Detective Constable with Cheshire Constabulary you can be posted anywhere across the county.
Cheshire Constabulary reserves the right to retract an offer at any stage of the on-boarding process.
The recruitment process comprises of six stages and candidates must pass each one of these:
1. Complete our application form
2. Eligibility checks
3. Pre-sift tool / online assessment
4. Face-to-face interview
5. Pre-employment checks
6. Full offer of employment and your training begins
1. The application form
This will tell us all the initial information we need to know about you. It will also ask about your reasons for applying to join the Cheshire Constabulary family.
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2. Eligibility Checks
See above accordion.
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3. Online Assessment
To prepare for your assessment…
• Study the documents we'll send you.
• Read the College of Policing Competence and Values Framework and think about how you might demonstrate these.
This series of modules explores the skills and values that every police constable needs. No prior policing experience is needed to complete the exercises.
IMPORTANT: to take part you'll need a computer or other device with a webcam, microphone, keyboard and a reliable internet connection.
National Sift
The National sift is designed to allow you to demonstrate your suitability for entry into the next stage of the process. It consists of two exercises: the situational judgement test (SJT) and a behavioural styles questionnaire (BSQ). These exercises will assess capabilities, strengths and behaviours that are important within the role you have applied for.
The process takes 30-40 minutes to complete. If you pass this, you’ll be invited to complete the Online Assessment Centre and move on to:
The Competency-Based Video Interview
You will answer five questions. Each question will provide some prompts for you to consider when answering. These will be presented as text on screen. A pre-recorded video of an assessor will also appear, and the questions will be read out to you.
For each question, you will have one minute (60 seconds) of thinking time to consider the question and prepare your answer. You will then have five minutes (300 seconds) to record your answer. Nothing that you say during the thinking time will be recorded. Once you have answered the first question, you will then move on to the next question and progress through until you have completed all five.
The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:
• courage
• public service
• respect and empathy
• we take ownership
• we are innovative and open-minded
This exercise should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
The Written Exercise
You’ll take on the role of a police constable who is required to complete an urgent written task for your line manager. You will be provided with four items of information to help you with this task. In your response, please only use the information provided and do not add or invent any information.
The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:
• respect and empathy
• we analyse critically
• we support and inspire
• we collaborate
This exercise should take approximately 40 minutes to complete.
The Briefing Exercise
Again, you’ll take on the role of a police constable. This time you’ll have responsibility for dealing with some issues presented to you. You will be tasked with providing a verbal response to a number of questions in relation to these issues. (At the start of the exercise you’ll be provided with materials to help you prepare your answer).
The CVF competencies and values that are assessed are:
• public service
• we are emotionally aware
• we take ownership
• we are innovative and open-minded
This exercise should take approximately 60 minutes to complete.
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4. Face to face interview
Successful assessment candidates will be invited to this panel interview with operational officers and police staff representatives. It will normally between 30 and 45 minutes.
The interview will explore your understanding of the College of Policing Competence and Values Framework.
This will help our team decide your suitability for the role of a police constable with Cheshire Constabulary.
If your interview is successful…
We’ll let you know by email and explain the next steps. Please note that depending on the volume of candidates per recruitment window, we may not always be able to keep your application on hold through the recruitment process.
Our interviews are always fair
We are an equal opportunities employer and are committed to attracting, supporting and developing a workforce representative of the communities we serve.
Throughout the recruitment process, the members of staff and assessors involved are trained to the highest standard, ensuring that the principles of the Equality Act are adhered to. Panel members will all have received an interview briefing as well as training in Standards of Practice to ensure fairness and legitimacy of our process.
Do you need any special arrangements?
For example, would you like us to take into account a disability, dyslexia, learning difficulties, injury, pregnancy, menopause, religion or belief?
Any requests for reasonable adjustments will be considered and arranged where possible and treated in the utmost confidence.
For further information please email [email protected] as early as possible.
Please note: offers of employment could be delayed
Candidates who are successful at interview may be given a conditional offer of employment immediately. Or, depending on intake numbers, that offer may be put on hold until a later date.
For this reason, we recommend that you don’t give notice to your current employer until you’re sure that we have made you a firm offer of employment.
All conditional offers following interview are subject to the completion of pre-employment checks.
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5. Pre-employment checks
Important: any non-attendance or delay in attending appointments for this stage of the process may result in you not meeting a specific intake date. Your application to join Cheshire Constabulary could then be put on hold or withdrawn.
A conditional offer of employment with us is always subject to these checks. They must be completed successfully within an agreed timescale:
• Fitness test - This must show that you have the physical fitness needed to be a police officer. If necessary you will be offered 2 further attempts within a reasonable timeframe (failure to pass first time may cause delays in your application). Failure to pass on a third attempt will mean your application is withdrawn. Watch an example of our fitness test that you will be completing
• Medical tests - These comprise of medical with our Occupational Health provider, an eye-sight test (optician fee payable by applicant)
• BMI Screening - height and weight measurements will be taken to ensure you meet the required standards on BMI. Guidelines on police recruitment in indicate you should have a BMI of between 18 and 30. Cases between 30 and 35 will be reviewed on an individual case by case basis. Cases above 35 are not likely to pass the screening process
• Drugs Test - you will be asked to provide a hair sample at one of our pre-employment days which will be analysed by our third party provider
• DNA and fingerprints - We hold this biometric identification data for all our officers
• Final vetting/security checks & Home Visit - You will be subject to vetting checks and we will also arrange a visit to your home during the pre-employment period.
• References - satisfactory references must be obtained from you current and previous employer or education establishment over the most recent two year period
Candidates must successfully pass each step to be considered for the next stage of the recruitment process. The decision making process uses a linear assessment when progressing candidates. Please note that timeframes are predicted and can overrun in exceptional circumstances.
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6. Training begins - welcome to the family!
If you progress from a conditional offer of employment to a formal offer of employment after your pre-employment checks, it’s time to join the Cheshire Constabulary family.
This unique training programme will mean that you are a Detective Constable from day one.
Please note Cheshire Constabulary reserves the right to retract an offer at any stage of the application process.
What does the role of detective entail?
Our Detectives investigate anything from domestic abuse, fraud, robbery, child protection, cyber-crime, serious assaults, organised crime, right the way through to high-level drugs importation and serious organised crime.
What sort of investigative team would I be working in initially?
Following the completion of initial training, you will be posted to a response unit with a Local Policing Unit. Following competition of the Detective training, you will be posted to a Criminal Investigation Department (CID) and a Public Protection Unit (PPU) in rotation.
Will I need to complete any exams or coursework?
You will need to complete an exam and a portfolio. The exam is the National Investigators exam which you will need to pass before undertaking specific Detective training. You will need to complete two portfolio’s to demonstrate competency. The first Student Officer Learning and Assessment Portfolio (SOLAP) that you will complete is what every new Police Officer completes following initial training. The second SOLAP will be your Detective portfolio that you will begin to complete following your first seven-week training course as a Detective. This will then be completed during your rotations on Detective Units.
What fitness requirements are needed?
You will need to be able to pass an endurance shuttle run (bleep test).
This involves running 15-metre shuttles to a series of audible beeps. During the test, the beeps will become progressively faster and you need to reach the end of the shuttle before the next beep sounds. You will need to achieve level 5.4 to pass.
What pre-employment checks will be carried out?
Can I transfer my assessment centre/online assessment score?
You would need to apply via the force website and attach a copy of either your SEARCH score (over 50%) or online assessment centre confirmation email.
I have a live application with another force, can I still apply to Cheshire?
Yes you are able to have more than one live application with different forces.
Will having tattoos stop me from being able to apply?
Any tattoos that are visible/ on your body, which are offensive or unacceptable if they could be reasonably interpreted as being discriminatory, violent, intimidating, aggressive, homophobic, offensive and/ or indicate attitudes or views inconsistent with the College of Policing’s Code of Ethics and the Standards of Professional Behaviour. Tattoos on the neck, face and hands will not automatically proceed through the recruitment process. Please note that tattoos that do not meet the eligibility criteria, that are slight in appearance and considered to be inoffensive will be reviewed by Chief Officers on a case-by-case basis prior to an application being progressed.