Merseyside Police has announced that based on government funding, the force is able to reopen its police officer recruitment lines.
In a statement, Merseyside Police said,”The COVID-19 pandemic has been a challenging time for many but particularly for our police officers who have played a crucial role in providing support to our communities, whilst at the same time maintaining business as usual. It is our officers who help make us one of the best performing forces in the country and it takes a huge number of people from all sorts of different backgrounds with a wide range of skills and experience, to achieve that.
“This is why we are pleased to open our recruitment lines at this time, as we hope it will provide people within our communities, who may have lost their jobs recently, or are looking for a change of direction that ideal next career opportunity. And for the force, being able to employ additional officers means we can bolster our policing resources with local people who understand the area and its challenges.
“Joining Merseyside Police as a police officer has changed recently, as the force has introduced the national ‘Policing Education Qualifications Framework’, which is designed to support the development of policing as a profession, recognising and raising educational standards. This particular recruitment opportunity is for anyone interested in becoming an officer who meets the criteria to join via the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route (more information on this route can be found on our website here).
“This simply means that potential applicants who don’t currently have a degree will follow an apprenticeship style scheme where they study alongside on-the-job training to become an officer. This process usually takes three years and each applicant will achieve a degree, without incurring any tuition fees, at the end of the programme along with a permanent post. In addition to that, all applicants will be entitled to a range of benefits including our competitive pension scheme and will receive a starting salary of £24,177.
“As with all our recruitment opportunities, we are also committed to providing an effective service, which represents the diverse communities living, working and visiting Merseyside. Our ambition is to grow an inclusive and representative police service, which understands and engages with the public effectively whilst increasing the trust and confidence of our communities. That is why we are working together with all of our staff support networks, and our Diversity, Equality, Inclusion (DEI) team and Community Engagement Unit, to encourage more people from diverse and underrepresented groups including ethnic minority groups and those who have a disability to consider a career in policing.”
Assistant Chief Constable Natalie Perischine said, “It’s been a tough year and the job market is a particularly tough environment at the moment. Policing is a very rewarding career, it is challenging but being able to support people in need far outweighs the challenges and gives people a huge amount of pride and job satisfaction.
“I would urge people to look at our PCDA police officer entry route, starting a career with Merseyside Police provides job stability, no day is the same and you’re constantly learning. The skills you learn are second to none and would stand anyone in good stead for career and promotion opportunities. And the added bonus with this entry route is that those who are accepted, will achieve a degree without any cost to them and they will also earn a salary at the same time.
“I would like to reiterate that we are dedicated to providing an inclusive police service that really reflects those we serve and protect. The advantages of having representatives from various backgrounds, beliefs and cultures means we can improve public confidence, community cohesion and gain a range of perspectives from those with various expertise.”
Merseyside Police anticipate high levels of interest and recommend submitting your application early, as it may be necessary to close the recruitment window early due to high levels of demand which we have experienced previously.
To apply or for more information, please click here: https://www.merseyside.police.uk/police-forces/merseyside-police/areas/careers/join-us/careers-in-policing-with-merseyside-police/
