Twenty new Police Now trainee detectives land in South Yorkshire Police

The 13-week residential academy began in March when almost 230 new officers – who all join their respective forces across England and Wales today – began their intensive training together.

They have developed the core policing skills and knowledge required for complex investigative work, in a mix of practical and classroom-based sessions led by experienced sergeants seconded from Police Now’s partner forces.

They have also completed field training shifts in their force Response teams and Criminal Investigation Departments.

Police Now officers also sit the challenging National Investigators’ Exam at the academy and consistently achieve a higher-than-average first-time pass rate. At this year’s detective academy, there was an average first-time pass rate of 75 per cent compared to the national average of 59 per cent.

They now continue Police Now’s two-year training and development programme in force, where they will play an integral part in solving cases and supporting victims of crime across South Yorkshire.

Supported by their experienced colleagues and Police Now Performance and Development Coaches, they will be Professionalising Investigation Programme Level 2 (PIP2) certified by the end of the two-year programme.

Assistant Chief Constable Sharn Basra of Bedfordshire Police delivered a keynote address to the new officers at the academy closing ceremony (15th – 16th June), in his last ever policing appearance before officially retiring that week.

He said: “I look over the room, as I come to the end of my career, and I see the future of policing. You will change policing and you will improve policing for the better. I have no doubt that during your academy training you have worked hard, you have been professional and you have had fun. Continue to do this throughout the next stages of your training and the rest of your policing careers. Policing is tough, you will have some bad days, you will see things that other people won’t see and you will experience things that other people shouldn’t have to experience. But you will change people’s lives and you will save people’s lives. The good days will always overtake the bad, as you support those that need you the most and secure justice for victims.”

Trainee Detective Constable Laura Gregory, who joins South Yorkshire Police today via the programme, said: “The Police Now academy has been an amazing experience. It has challenged and tested us in ways we would not have anticipated but the skills, knowledge and confidence we have developed will be invaluable when we go into our new roles in the next stages of the programme. The input and support from our 'Syndicate Leads' (academy trainers) has been extremely insightful and they have been essential in the confidence that we have developed since the start of our academy journey. I am very excited to get out in force to put into practice what I have learnt so far and contribute to serving the communities in South Yorkshire. It is a challenging time to become involved in policing but we are all enthusiastic about making a positive impact in the force.”

Police Now is a Times Top 100 Graduate Employer and has partnered with a total of 36 forces to recruit and train over 2,680 police officers and detectives nationally.

Applications for the next intake of the National Detective Programme are currently open.