Police Now
The Complete Guide
Police Now is the charity that recruits graduates into policing through its own two-year programme, with its own selection, an academy and a coach. This hub covers what it is, how it works, who it suits and where it came from and links to a full guide or free tool for every stage. Everything below was read on Police Now's own pages and official sources on 19 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 19 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
A registered charity, founded in 2015, that runs a two-year National Graduate Programme with partner police forces. Graduates with a 2:2 or above choose a specialism (Neighbourhood, Detective, Economic Crime or Counter Terrorism), pass an online immersive assessment and a virtual assessment centre, then join a force as paid, sworn officers, starting with an 8 or 13-week academy. The March 2027 entry has closed. Police Now says applications for the March 2028 start open early next year and you can register interest by region.
Recruitment window alerts
Get told when Police Now opens the March 2028 window
Police Now says applications for the March 2028 start open early next year. Leave your email and we will tell you when it opens, by email written by hand. Add up to two forces too if you are also applying to a force. Occasional emails. Unsubscribe any time.
We read Police Now's programme, specialism, eligibility, application, assessment, help hub and news pages on 19 October 2026, its application portal, its ten-year report, three published evaluations of its programmes, a police and crime commissioner decision and GOV.UK statistics. Police Now's site keeps a lot of older text next to the current pages, and some figures disagree. Where that happens we say so and use the current programme page. PolicePay is independent of Police Now; nothing here is Police Now's own material beyond short summaries with sources.
What Police Now is
Police Now is a registered charity in England and Wales (number 1168427). It calls itself an independent social enterprise supported by the Home Office and its stated mission is to transform communities, reduce crime and anti-social behaviour and increase public confidence in policing by recruiting and developing graduates as frontline officers.
The important thing to understand early: Police Now does not employ you as an officer. It recruits you for a partner force. The force appoints you, pays you from day one and keeps you after the two years. Police Now runs the selection, the academy, the coaching and the programme structure. A May 2024 GOV.UK statistics release describes Police Now's programmes as based on the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP) and counts 1,591 recruits (3% of the total) joining through Police Now between November 2019 and March 2023.
Start here: every Police Now guide and tool
Each stage has its own full guide. Pick the one that matches where you are; the rest of this page gives the overview.
Pay and eligibility
Applying and assessment
Routes and decision
Free tools
More guides
Police Now at a glance
| Police Now | |
|---|---|
| What it is | A registered charity (number 1168427) running a two-year graduate programme into policing with partner forces |
| Founded | 2015, as a neighbourhood policing pilot in the Metropolitan Police; independent charity from 2016 |
| Programme | National Graduate Programme, two years, ending when you complete probation |
| Specialisms | Neighbourhood, Detective, Economic Crime, Counter Terrorism |
| Academy | 8 weeks (Neighbourhood) or 13 weeks (Detective routes), residential |
| Employer | Your police force: you are a sworn constable, paid by the force from day one |
| Starting pay (Police Now's range) | £32,256 to £43,689, depending on location |
| Qualification | A funded level 6 or level 7 policing qualification, depending on programme |
| Degree needed | A First, 2:1 or 2:2 in any subject (not professional policing), plus level 3 qualifications |
| Selection | Online application, immersive assessment, virtual assessment centre, then checks |
| Support | A Police Now Performance and Development Coach for the two years, plus a tutor and sergeant in force |
| Partner forces | 37 of the 43 forces in England and Wales since 2015 (not all recruit in every window) |
| Application window | March 2027 entry closed; March 2028 start opens early 2027 (Police Now says "early next year"; no date published) |
| Officers recruited | 3,471 over ten years (Police Now's ten-year report); 1,591 between November 2019 and March 2023 (GOV.UK) |
Figures such as officers recruited and partner forces are Police Now's own. Its pages give slightly different totals in different places (for example "over 30 forces" on one page and 37 on another, "3,500+" graduates on one and 3,471 in its report), which is normal for a site updated over years; we give the most specific figure with its source.
When Police Now applications open
Where things stood on 19 October 2026:
- March 2027 entry: closed. Police Now's application portal says so.
- March 2028 start: Police Now's programme page and FAQ say applications will open early next year (early 2027). No exact date is published.
- Register interest: choose a region on Police Now's site to be told when applications open. You can also opt to hear about roles anywhere.
- Other intakes: a cohort of 124 recruits for the Met and West Midlands Police (Neighbourhood and Counter Terrorism) took the oath on 20 July 2026, so not every intake starts in March.
Some Police Now pages still show closed deadlines (31 July, 25 September), a placeholder "Deadline: X", or lines saying applications "may close early". When we checked, the application portal itself said the March 2027 entry had closed. Trust the portal and the programme page for what is open now.
For what happens after you press apply and how long each step takes, see the Police Now application process and timeline. To be told when the next window opens, see when Police Now applications open.
What to do while applications are closed
With the March 2028 window expected early in 2027, there is time to remove the things that most often stop people later. Each step below rests on a published Police Now rule or stage, not on guesswork about what assessors want.
| Step | Why it matters (Police Now's rule or stage) | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Register interest by region | Police Now says it will tell you when applications open; you can choose an area or opt for anywhere. | Police Now's registration page |
| Confirm your degree and level 3 | A 2:2 or above (held or expected by the start date) and level 3 equal to two A levels. | Eligibility guide |
| Check residency and status | Three years' continuous UK residence; settled status or indefinite leave to remain; pre-settled depends on force. | Nationality and residency |
| Sort the driving licence question | Some forces want a full manual licence; if you have none, Police Now says the practical test must be booked when you apply. | Your target force's job description, once published |
| Train for the bleep test | The 15m bleep test to level 5.4 comes after the conditional offer, with limited retakes. | Bleep test training plan (free) or the Fitness Pass Suite (paid) |
| Look at your finances and history | Outstanding CCJs, recent bankruptcy, a current IVA, undeclared convictions or current drug use can end an offer. | Vetting evidence builder (free, with an optional paid report) |
| Build real examples | The assessment centre interview asks about your motivation, the mission and past experience. | Competencies and values |
| Practise clear written reports | Both specialisms include a written exercise (incident summary or investigative report). | Written exercise practice |
| Decide between routes | Police Now's windows and forces are fixed; force DHEP and PCDA intakes run on their own timetables. | Police Now vs DHEP vs PCDA |
You can also apply to a force directly in the meantime. Police Now's help hub confirms you can run both applications at once and choose if you receive two offers.
The NGLP and the National Detective Programme: what changed
For most of its history Police Now ran separately named programmes: the National Graduate Leadership Programme (NGLP) for neighbourhood officers and the National Detective Programme (NDP) from 2019 for trainee detectives. Many guides, job boards and the national joiningthepolice.co.uk site still use those names.
Police Now's current site brands everything as one National Graduate Programme with specialisms. When we checked on 19 October 2026, the old NGLP page redirected to the Neighbourhood specialism and the old NDP page redirected to the Detective specialism. Traces of the old names remain (a "National Graduate Leadership Programme" heading on the Neighbourhood page, an "NGLP2025" login link), so you will see both.
| Old name | Current name | Status |
|---|---|---|
| National Graduate Leadership Programme (NGLP) | National Graduate Programme: Neighbourhood specialism | Old page redirects to Neighbourhood |
| National Detective Programme (NDP) | National Graduate Programme: Detective specialism | Old page redirects to Detective |
| Counter terrorism stream of the detective programme | Counter Terrorism specialism | Follows the detective structure |
| Not previously separate | Economic Crime specialism | Follows the detective structure |
The four specialisms
You choose a specialism and a force or region, when you apply. The forces column shows only roles Police Now listed for the closed March 2027 entry and the July 2026 cohort; it is not a promise of future forces.
| Specialism | Academy | Focus | Recent forces with roles |
|---|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood (formerly National Graduate Leadership Programme (NGLP)) | 8 weeks | Neighbourhood policing and problem solving in one community, a community impact stage and leadership development. | Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire and North Wales (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
| Detective (formerly National Detective Programme (NDP), launched 2019) | 13 weeks | Investigation, law, interviewing and evidence; the National Investigators' Exam at the end of the academy; PIP1 then PIP2 over the two years. | North Wales (March 2027 roles) |
| Economic Crime | 13 weeks | Follows the detective structure, with an economic crime focus. | Dorset (March 2027 roles) |
| Counter Terrorism | 13 weeks | Follows the detective structure; counter terrorism work starts in year two. | Metropolitan Police (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
Counter Terrorism has extra rules: UK nationality (dual nationals considered in approved cases), five or ten years' UK residence depending on force and vetting up to Developed Vetting. All three detective routes are covered in depth in our Police Now detective programme guide.
Who Police Now is for
Police Now's own pages and figures point to a fairly clear profile. On its own figures, 64% of participants are career changers and 58% had never considered policing before hearing about Police Now. Read that alongside the rules and the format and the programme is built for:
- Graduates and final-year students with a 2:2 or above in any subject other than professional policing, who want to join straight from university.
- Career changers with a degree, who want a structured start and a cohort of people in the same position. Police Now says you do not need to be a recent graduate.
- People flexible about where they live. Each window has roles in a limited set of forces and Police Now says many participants relocate.
- People who want a defined specialism from day one, especially detective, economic crime or counter terrorism work, which most force routes reach later.
- People who can do a residential academy of 8 or 13 weeks, then shifts.
- Specials, PCSOs, cadets and police staff, who can apply; only people who have attested and served as police officers cannot.
It suits people less well if they need a particular force, a start date outside Police Now's windows, or have no degree (see PCDA and PCEP). We weigh this up properly in is Police Now worth it?
Your next step, by situation
Where you start depends on where you are now. This table points each common situation at the right page, using only Police Now's published rules.
| Your situation | What Police Now's rules mean for you | Read next |
|---|---|---|
| Final-year student | You can apply if you expect a 2:2 or above by the programme start date. | Eligibility then application process |
| Graduate with a 2:2 or above | You meet the headline degree rule; check level 3, residency, nationality and licence for your force. | Eligibility checker |
| Graduate with a third or a pass degree | Police Now's rule is a 2:2 or above, so this route is closed; a force DHEP sets its own rules. | DHEP explained |
| Professional policing degree holder | Not eligible for Police Now; your degree is designed for a different, shorter route. | Pre-join degree route |
| No degree | Not eligible; the apprenticeship and non-degree routes are the alternatives. | PCDA or PCEP |
| Career changer | Welcome; Police Now says skills from other sectors transfer and a coach supports the change. | Is Police Now worth it? |
| Special, PCSO, cadet or police staff | Eligible. Only people who have attested and served as officers are not. | Police Now vs DHEP vs PCDA |
| Interested in investigation | Detective, Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism start as trainee detectives. | Detective programme |
| Invited to the online assessment | Untimed, about 45 minutes, with a feedback report for everyone. | Immersive assessment |
| Invited to the assessment centre | About half a day, virtual, with exercises that differ by specialism. | Assessment centre and interview questions |
| Holding a conditional offer | Fitness, medical, vetting and the Professionalism in Policing meeting come next. | Vetting levels |
Police Now eligibility in brief
- Degree: A First, 2:1 or 2:2 in any subject (or a non-UK equivalent), held or expected by the programme start date. Police Now excludes a degree in Professional Policing in Practice; it does not name the pre-join BSc in Professional Policing, so check with Police Now if you hold one.
- Level 3: Police Now's eligibility page also asks for level 3 qualifications equivalent to at least two A levels in any subject (or an international equivalent).
- Age: Over 17 to apply, 18 by appointment.
- Residency: At least three continuous years' UK residence, with exceptions for service abroad with the armed forces or government and absences under a year.
- Nationality: Any nationality with indefinite leave to remain or settled status. Pre-settled status depends on the force: Police Now's FAQ names Avon and Somerset, Northamptonshire and Suffolk as accepting it (19 October 2026).
- Driving licence: Depends on the force: the Met needs none; other forces want one by final offer or at application.
- Previous service: Anyone who has attested and served as a police officer cannot apply. Specials, PCSOs, cadets and police staff can.
- Fitness: 15m bleep test to level 5.4; retake after six weeks; up to three attempts (Police Now fitness guide, September 2023).
Tattoos, finances, vetting, Welsh language and the rest are set out rule by rule in the Police Now eligibility guide, or answer a few questions in the Police Now eligibility checker.
The selection stages in brief
| Step | Stage | What happens |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Online application | Account, eligibility questions, choice of specialism and force or region, personal details. About 30 to 45 minutes. No CV, cover letter or essays. Screened blind. |
| 2 | Immersive assessment (online) | Police Now's FAQ says eligible applicants are invited to complete it within seven days (the wording does not say whether that is the invitation or the deadline). Untimed, about 45 minutes plus a 10-minute unscored practice. Cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario. Personalised feedback report for everyone. |
| 3 | Virtual assessment centre | Estimated half a day. Neighbourhood: interview, incident summary written report, community engagement interactions, team meeting, debrief. Detective: crime case interactions, investigative report, interview, debrief. Outcome within ten working days, with feedback. |
| 4 | Conditional offer | As little as two to three weeks from applying. Offer holders are invited to an in-person induction event. |
| 5 | Pre-employment checks | Vetting, medical, fitness test, biometrics and substance misuse test, guided by a Police Now recruitment officer; plus a short in-person Professionalism in Policing meeting. Typically two to four months to final offer. |
| 6 | Final offer and academy | Sworn in as a constable, paid by your force from day one; 8-week (Neighbourhood) or 13-week (Detective routes) academy. |
Police Now says applying to a conditional offer can take as little as two to three weeks and conditional to final offer typically two to four months. Our application process guide goes through every step with realistic timings.
Where applications fall away
Police Now does not publish pass rates by stage. The best public evidence is Birkbeck's evaluation of the 2021 neighbourhood recruitment round, commissioned by Police Now, which tracked where candidates left the process:
- The online assessment stage was the biggest drop-out point, mostly because candidates withdrew (30.5% of candidates withdrew there) rather than failed.
- Eligibility and personal requirements accounted for another 23.9% of candidates.
- Women were more likely to withdraw at the online assessment (34% against 25% of men), while men were more likely to fail at screening and eligibility. The proportion hired was similar.
- Candidates with caring responsibilities withdrew from the online assessment at a much higher rate (50% against 30%).
Those figures are from one round several years ago and Police Now's online stage may have changed since (today it is the untimed immersive assessment). The practical lesson still holds: check eligibility properly before you apply and set aside a quiet, uninterrupted 45 minutes for the online assessment rather than leaving it to the last day. The eligibility checker and the practice test help with both.
The two assessments
The immersive assessment is online and untimed, about 45 minutes plus an unscored practice, with cognitive, motivational and personality elements set in a scenario. Everyone gets a feedback report. It replaces a conventional online test; there is no separately named numerical or situational judgement test. Full detail: Police Now immersive assessment explained.
The virtual assessment centre takes about half a day. Neighbourhood applicants do an interview, a written incident summary, community engagement interactions, a team meeting and a debrief; detective routes do crime case interactions, an investigative report, an interview and a debrief. Police Now says it is not a test of policing knowledge. Exercise by exercise, with a two-week plan: Police Now assessment centre: how to prepare and for the interview, Police Now interview questions.
Want to try the format first? The free Police Now practice test uses original PolicePay scenarios mapped to Police Now's competencies (not Police Now's questions).
Try one out loud. Answer a practice question free and get a scored result in about a minute. No account. Practise in the free police mock interview
What Police Now looks for
Police Now assesses against its own framework of 10 competencies and 4 values, not the College of Policing's Competency and Values Framework (CVF), although six of the competency names overlap with the CVF.
- Take ownership
- Collaborate
- Support and inspire
- Analyse critically
- Innovative and open-minded
- Emotionally aware
- Resilient (not in the CVF)
- Culturally aware (not in the CVF)
- Motivational alignment (not in the CVF)
- Written communication (not in the CVF)
Values: transparency, integrity, impartiality, public service.
What each means and what good evidence looks like: Police Now competencies and values explained.
Conditional offer, checks and vetting
After a successful assessment centre you get a conditional offer and an invitation to an in-person induction event. A Police Now recruitment officer then guides you through the pre-employment checks: fitness test, medical, vetting, biometrics and a substance misuse test, plus a short in-person Professionalism in Policing meeting (Police Now's FAQ says about 15 minutes, on three of the College of Policing's ethical policing principles).
- Vetting: Declare all convictions and cautions, including as a juvenile. Automatic rejections include a custodial, suspended or deferred prison sentence, sex offender registration, being on the police barred list, causing death by careless or dangerous driving and recent or multiple drink, drug or dangerous driving offences; current illegal drug use is a bar. The level depends on the specialism: Police Now's vetting page lists a counter terrorism check for Detective roles as well, management vetting for Detective and Economic Crime roles in some forces and Security Check and Developed Vetting for Counter Terrorism.
- Finances: Manageable debt is fine; an outstanding CCJ, bankruptcy in the last three years or a current IVA may make you ineligible (the vetting page advises being up to date on IVA payments).
- BMI: Police Now's FAQ gives 18 to 30 on Police Now's help hub; its 2023 medical guide says up to 32 for the Met and that body fat may also be measured.
- Timing: Police Now gives one to three months for vetting in one place and two to four months for the whole conditional to final offer stage in another. See how long police vetting takes.
These checks are where offers are most often lost, so read them before you apply. See police vetting levels explained and how to pass the bleep test.
The Police Now Academy
- Length: 8 weeks for Neighbourhood and 13 for the detective routes, on the specialism pages. The National Graduate Programme page itself says both seven and twelve weeks and eight to thirteen weeks. The first cohort in 2015 had a six-week Summer Academy.
- Format: residential, mixing residential, in-force and digital learning. Accommodation and meals are covered and you can go home at weekends. Police Now does not name the venue on the pages we read.
- Status and pay: you take the oath before or at the start of the academy, so you are a warranted officer from day one and your force pays you throughout. The job descriptions say pay starts from day one at the academy.
- Who teaches: syndicate leads, who are sergeants and inspectors seconded from partner forces, about one for every ten recruits, usually from the force you will join.
- Content: Neighbourhood covers core skills including personal and public safety; the detective routes cover investigation, law, interviewing and evidence. Police Now says the academy meets or exceeds the College's foundation training requirements, including officer safety training and emergency life saving.
- Detectives and the NIE: trainee detectives sit the National Investigators' Exam at the end of the academy. See the NIE on direct entry detective routes.
The two years in force
| Neighbourhood | Detective routes |
|---|---|
| Offer accepted and onboarding | Conditional and final offer |
| Police Now Academy (8 weeks) | Police Now Academy (13 weeks) |
| Force immersion | Force integration |
| In-force training | National Investigators' Exam |
| Community impact | Casework and development |
| Leadership development | Specialist training |
| Graduation and progression | Graduation and progression |
- Qualification: a fully funded level 6 or level 7 policing qualification, depending on programme. Police Now's 2024 news names Liverpool John Moores University's Graduate Diploma for detective graduates; the programme page does not name the awarding body.
- Support: a Police Now Performance and Development Coach for both years, alongside a tutor and a sergeant in force.
- Neighbourhood: a community impact stage in which you lead problem-solving work and in year two the chance to apply for a four-week external secondment or an internal attachment. Police Now names past hosts including the Home Office and Counter Terrorism Policing.
- Detective routes: independent patrol status expected within ten weeks of joining the force, PIP1 then PIP2 over the two years and confirmation as a detective expected by the end.
- Shifts: Police Now's help hub is plain that policing is 24/7, with shifts that may include evenings and weekends.
- End point: the programme ends when you complete your probation.
What the job is like day to day
Police Now is a route into an ordinary police job, so it is worth being clear about the job itself. From Police Now's own help hub:
- Neighbourhood work: talking to residents about their concerns, community meetings, school visits and foot and vehicle patrols. Police Now stresses that no two days are the same.
- Hours: policing runs 24 hours a day, so expect shifts including evenings and weekends; some forces use patterns such as four on, four off.
- Uniform: constables are uniformed, so the public can see them.
- Safety: the academy trains you to keep yourself and others safe, handle conflict, negotiate and keep situational awareness and that training is refreshed through your career.
- Before you start: offer holders meet each other at the induction event and may be invited to further onboarding events before the start date.
- Welsh forces: Dyfed-Powys asks for Welsh level 1 within six months of appointment and North Wales level 2 by final offer, with force training to help.
The early evaluations add a reality check worth knowing: the first cohort's job satisfaction and motivation started high and declined over time, as is common among new recruits and many reported a lack of resources and a poor work-life balance, which the evaluators saw as wider force issues rather than Police Now ones. More in is Police Now worth it?
Police Now pay in brief
| Point | Police Now's range | Pay year | On 2026/27 rates (PolicePay) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Starting salary | £32,256 to £43,689 | 2026/27 | £32,255 to £43,688 |
| Within seven years | £50,256 to £59,964 | 2025/26 | £52,015 to £62,094 |
| Sergeant, on promotion | £53,568 to £63,276 | 2025/26 | £55,443 to £65,522 |
Day one, including the academy, by your force. Leave is Police Now's job descriptions say 22 days rising to 30; Annex O as amended from 1 April 2025 gives officers appointed since then 25 days rising to 30 after 10 years.; pension is the Police Pension Scheme (job descriptions); the 2015 scheme is the only one open to new officers.. Pay follows your force's scale, so the London forces pay more. The Met said on 12 October 2026 that new recruits start on more than £43,000, which is pay point 2 with London pay. Police Now's Counter Terrorism page gives an older starting range (£31,164 to £42,210, the 2025/26 rates) than the programme page; we use the programme page. Force by force figures and take-home pay are in the Police Now salary guide and the Police Now salary calculator works out your own take-home after tax, pension and student loan.
Detective, Economic Crime and Counter Terrorism in brief
All three detective routes share a 13-week academy, the National Investigators' Exam at its end, then casework, PIP1 and PIP2 over the two years. Economic Crime adds an economic crime focus; Counter Terrorism moves into counter terrorism work in year two and has stricter nationality, residency and vetting rules. Police Now says it has trained over 1,200 detectives since 2019. The routes, the NIE and the extra rules are covered in the Police Now detective programme guide; for the investigator levels see PIP1 vs PIP2.
How Police Now works with forces
Police Now is a partnership between a charity and the forces that take its officers. From Police Now's partner page and a published force decision, the division of roles looks like this:
| Question | Answer | Source |
|---|---|---|
| Who employs you? | Your force, on a permanent contract. You are a sworn constable or trainee detective constable. | Police Now job descriptions |
| Who pays your salary? | Your force, on its own pay scale, from day one including the academy. | Programme page; job descriptions |
| Do you pay Police Now anything? | No fee to applicants appears anywhere on Police Now's pages. The qualification is described as fully funded. | Programme page |
| Who pays Police Now? | Partner forces pay a fee per participant under a contract for services. In a 2019 Northumbria decision the 2020 fee was £13,950 per participant (including the university), forces covered about two thirds of the full cost and Home Office and corporate grants the rest. Current fees are not published. | Northumbria PCC decision PCC/394/2019 |
| Who trains you at the academy? | Syndicate leads: serving sergeants and inspectors seconded from partner forces, one per ten officers, usually from your force. | Partner with us |
| Who supports you in force? | A Police Now Performance and Development Coach, plus a force tutor and sergeant. Forces also commit to supporting tutors and line managers. | Partner with us; programme page |
| Who runs the checks? | A Police Now recruitment officer guides you; forces support vetting and the medical. | How to apply; Partner with us |
| What happens at the end? | The programme ends when you finish probation. You stay with your force as a warranted officer. | Forces page |
The practical consequence: questions about your shifts, posting, pay, leave or discipline are your force's; questions about the academy, coaching, assessments and the programme are Police Now's. Forces also attend monthly governance meetings with Police Now, according to its partner page.
Which forces take Police Now officers?
Police Now says it has partnered with 37 of the 43 forces in England and Wales since 2015. Its forces page names them: Avon and Somerset, Bedfordshire, Cambridgeshire, Cheshire, City of London, Derbyshire, Devon and Cornwall, Dorset, Dyfed-Powys, Essex, Gloucestershire, Greater Manchester, Gwent, Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Hertfordshire, Humberside, Kent, Lancashire, Lincolnshire, Merseyside, the Metropolitan Police, Northamptonshire, Northumbria, North Wales, North Yorkshire, South Wales, South Yorkshire, Staffordshire, Suffolk, Surrey, Sussex, Thames Valley, Warwickshire, West Mercia, West Midlands, West Yorkshire and Wiltshire.
That list is history, not a promise. Roles are offered force by force in each window. For the now closed March 2027 entry, Police Now listed Neighbourhood roles in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire and North Wales, Detective in North Wales, Economic Crime in Dorset and Counter Terrorism in the Met. When you register interest you choose a preferred area and Police Now says some forces are oversubscribed, so flexibility helps. Compare forces on pay and region with our force finder.
A short history of Police Now
Police Now's own ten-year report and the published evaluations give a consistent outline. Dates are as those sources give them.
| Year | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 2015 | Starts as a neighbourhood policing pilot inside the Metropolitan Police. The first cohort of 67 graduates joins the Met in July 2015 and completes a six-week Summer Academy. | Police Now ten-year report; MOPAC evaluation |
| 2016 | Becomes an independent charity and social enterprise (the MOPAC evaluation dates this to April 2016). | Ten-year report; MOPAC evaluation |
| 2017 | Works with 17 forces. MOPAC publishes its independent evaluation of the first cohort in December. | Ten-year report; MOPAC evaluation |
| 2018 | Works with 19 forces. | Ten-year report |
| 2019 | Launches the National Detective Programme, piloted in forces from January 2019 with Home Office funding. | Ten-year report; Police Now news (March 2024); Northumbria PCC decision (2019) |
| 2020 | Peak recruitment and training volume, supporting the Police Uplift Programme. | Ten-year report |
| 2021 | Announces Liverpool John Moores University as co-deliverer of its graduate diploma for joiners from 2022. Launches a Frontline Leadership Programme for officers aiming for sergeant. | Police Now news (22 September 2021); ten-year report |
| 2023 to 2024 | Counter Terrorism specialism: the ten-year report dates its launch to 2023; the first stream of 75 Counter Terrorism Policing recruits for the Met was attested in March 2024. | Ten-year report; Police Now news (18 March 2024) |
| 2024 | Economic Crime specialism launched. | Ten-year report |
| By October 2026 | One National Graduate Programme with four specialisms. The old NGLP and National Detective Programme pages now redirect to the Neighbourhood and Detective specialisms. | Police Now programme pages, checked 19 October 2026 |
The ten-year report does not name Police Now's founders; it describes the programme as conceived by Metropolitan Police officers. It also says Police Now has brought 3,471 officers into policing across 37 forces. The Northumbria decision of August 2019 records that Police Now had by then made its neighbourhood programme compliant with the national policing education framework through a partnership with the College of Policing and the University of Huddersfield, before Liverpool John Moores University took over the diploma for joiners from 2022.
What independent evaluations found
Police Now publishes several evaluations on its impact page. They are worth reading because they are more cautious than the headline figures:
- MOPAC, first cohort (2017): an independent evaluation by the Mayor's Office for Policing and Crime, funded by the Home Office. Of 67 officers placed in 2015, 55 graduated. Satisfaction with training was high, but fewer than half felt prepared at the end of the six-week academy and public confidence in Police Now wards showed no overall change compared with matched wards.
- Canterbury Christ Church University, detective pilot (2022): 93 people selected from 3,995 applicants; 97% retention at the end of the pilot; workload and work-life balance flagged as challenges.
- Birkbeck, 2021 neighbourhood cohort (2023): an academic evaluation commissioned by Police Now. Supervisors and colleagues rated participants highly, especially on people skills; participants' views of the programme dipped over time; the biggest drop-out point in recruitment was withdrawal at the online assessment.
We go through what these say and what they cannot tell you, in is Police Now worth it? An honest look.
After the programme
When you finish the two years and your probation, you carry on as a warranted constable or detective constable in your force. Police Now runs an alumni network with promotion coaching, support for the College of Policing's Fast Track programme and discounts on study materials.
Police Now says 87% of alumni remain in policing; that 85% of two detective cohorts stayed in policing at the end of the programme; that 86.3% of its trainee detectives passed the NIE against a national rate it gives as 67% (June 2026); and that 25% of the 2024 Fast Track to Inspector intake were its graduates. These are Police Now's own figures for its own participants. We could not check them against an independent source and they do not tell you your own chances.
If promotion is part of your plan, see Fast Track constable to inspector explained and the promotion hub.
Police Now vs DHEP and PCDA in brief
| Police Now | Force DHEP | |
|---|---|---|
| Selection | Police Now's own assessments, national windows | College of Policing process and force interview, force by force |
| Start | Residential academy with a national cohort | Force and university training, set locally |
| Degree class | 2:2 or above (not professional policing) | A degree in any subject; the national rules set no classification |
| Choice of force | Limited to forces with roles in that window | Any force that is recruiting |
Both lead to the same job and both are paid from day one. If you do not have a degree, the PCDA is the three-year apprenticeship alternative. The full side-by-side comparison, including timing and which to apply for first, is in Police Now vs DHEP vs PCDA.
For scale: Police Now is a small share of police recruitment. GOV.UK's analysis of recruits during the Police Uplift Programme (1 November 2019 to 31 March 2023, published 16 May 2024) breaks the total down like this:
| Entry route | Recruits | Share |
|---|---|---|
| IPLDP (the older non-degree route) | 15,434 | 33% |
| PCDA (degree apprenticeship) | 15,089 | 32% |
| PC DHEP (degree holder, constable) | 9,543 | 21% |
| DC DHEP (degree holder, detective) | 4,495 | 10% |
| Police Now | 1,591 | 3% |
The same release describes Police Now's programmes as based on DHEP. Shares are as GOV.UK gives them, rounded, so they do not sum exactly to 100%.
A realistic timeline to a March 2028 start
Built only from durations Police Now publishes, this is how the next intake could unfold. It is an illustration, not a Police Now timetable.
| Step | Police Now's stated timing | What it could mean |
|---|---|---|
| Applications open | Early next year | Early 2027 (no date published) |
| Immersive assessment | Invited to complete it within seven days of an eligible application | Days after you apply |
| Conditional offer | As little as two to three weeks from applying | Spring 2027 at the earliest |
| Checks to final offer | Typically two to four months | Summer to autumn 2027 |
| Academy | 8 or 13 weeks | From March 2028 |
| Programme ends | Two years, once probation is complete | Around early 2030 |
Final-year students can apply if they expect to hold their degree by the start date. If you accept an offer and later want a different start, Police Now says deferral requests are reviewed case by case and suggests applying for the intake that matches the start you want.
Adjustments, neurodiversity and disability
- Blind screening: Police Now says applications are screened blind.
- Immersive assessment: designed to be neuroinclusive, with captions, pause and play and transcripts; untimed, so extra time is not needed; other adjustments on request.
- Assessment centre: adjustments arranged beforehand, most often extra time. Police Now's neurodiversity FAQ mentions extra time for written exercises and reading and materials in advance.
- Medical: Police Now's 2023 guidance says no one is rejected because of a medical label and refers to the Equality Act 2010. Home Office medical standards still apply.
- Generative AI: Police Now says it supports using AI tools but wants to see the real you and publishes a policy on where AI is and is not allowed in its process.
See also mental health and neurodiversity in police recruitment and joining with a medical condition.
Common misconceptions about Police Now
- "Police Now is a fast track to senior rank." It is a constable or detective constable programme. Promotion follows the normal national processes, with alumni support.
- "You work for Police Now." You are appointed and paid by your force, on a permanent contract and stay with it after the two years.
- "Police Now charges you for the training." Nothing on its pages suggests a fee to applicants; forces pay Police Now and the qualification is funded.
- "It is still called the NGLP or the NDP." Those names have been replaced by specialisms of the National Graduate Programme.
- "Any degree will do." You need a 2:2 or above, level 3 qualifications and not a degree in Professional Policing in Practice.
- "Serving specials cannot apply." They can. Only people who have attested and served as police officers cannot.
- "It uses the same tests as every force." Police Now runs its own immersive assessment and assessment centre, not the National Sift and online assessment centre.
- "You can pick any of the 37 forces." Each window has roles in only a few forces.
- "Police Now's pass and retention figures are independent." They are Police Now's own; the independent evaluations are more mixed.
Questions to ask Police Now before you accept
- Which forces and specialisms have roles in this window and how many places in each?
- What exactly is my qualification, which institution awards it and is it level 6 or level 7?
- Where is the academy, which weeks are residential and what will travel and weekends cost me?
- What is my force's starting salary and does it include London or other location pay?
- Is there anything in my contract about repaying training or qualification costs if I leave early?
- What are my force's driving licence, Welsh language or English and maths requirements and by when?
- How long do vetting and the medical usually take for my force?
- What support is there if I struggle with an academy assessment or the National Investigators' Exam?
- If I hold pre-settled status, does my chosen force accept it?
What we could not verify
- Leaving and repayment terms. Police Now's public pages say nothing on tie-ins or repaying costs; we could not see a participant contract.
- The exact qualification for each specialism (level 6 or 7) and the current awarding university for neighbourhood officers.
- Current fees forces pay. The only figure we found is from a 2019 force decision.
- The academy venue and the precise residential pattern.
- When exactly applications open for March 2028, beyond "early next year" and which forces will have roles.
- Pre-settled status for forces not named in Police Now's FAQ (it names Avon and Somerset, Northamptonshire and Suffolk as accepting it).
- Independent current outcome data. Retention, exam and promotion figures are Police Now's own; the independent evaluations cover early cohorts.
- Police Now's charity accounts. The Charity Commission register blocked our automated reading, so we do not quote income or spending.
- Founders. Police Now's own pages do not name them, so neither do we.
- Academy length: the Neighbourhood and Detective specialism pages say 8 and 13 weeks; the National Graduate Programme page says both seven and twelve weeks and eight to thirteen weeks.
- Eligibility page text is partly stale: it still says the Met is the only force currently accepting applications for the NGLP and the qualifications FAQ refers to a March 2026 start.
- Counter Terrorism nationality: the Counter Terrorism page lists ILR or settled status with 5 or 10 years' residence by force; its links section and the job description say British nationality and 10 years.
- Job description salaries: £31,164 for Detective (North Wales) and Economic Crime (Dorset) against £32,256 for Neighbourhood in North Wales; £31,164 looks like starting pay before the September 2026 award (our reading).
- NIE timing: the partner page says the end of the academy or within the first three months; the programme page lists it after force integration.
- Vetting time: one page says one to three months for vetting; another says two to four months for the whole conditional-to-final stage.
- Old vacancy pages still show past deadlines (31 July, 25 September) and a placeholder "Deadline: X".
- Salary: the Counter Terrorism page gives a starting range of £31,164 to £42,210, older than the programme page's £32,256 to £43,689.
- Detective assessment centre page: a second exercise list repeats the Neighbourhood exercises (apparently leftover template copy, alongside placeholder text).
- Immersive assessment: described as untimed, but the Detective page says timed sections are used only where necessary.
- Partner forces: the partner page says 37 forces partnered since 2015; the help hub says 37 of the 43 forces in England and Wales; the About page says "over 30".
- Counter Terrorism starting pay: £31,164 to £42,210 on the Counter Terrorism page, against a programme-wide range starting at £32,256.
- Partner forces: "over 30" on the About page, 37 on the partner and forces pages.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is Police Now?
Police Now is a registered charity (number 1168427) that recruits graduates into policing through a two-year National Graduate Programme run with partner forces. It describes itself as an independent social enterprise supported by the Home Office. It began in 2015 as a pilot in the Metropolitan Police and became an independent charity in 2016. You join a force as a paid, sworn officer; Police Now runs the selection, the academy and support across the two years.
Is Police Now a charity?
Yes. Police Now is a registered charity in England and Wales, number 1168427 and calls itself a not-for-profit social enterprise. It does not employ you as an officer: your force does. A 2019 Northumbria police and crime commissioner decision shows forces paying Police Now a fee per participant under a contract for services, with Home Office and corporate grants covering part of the cost.
Is it hard to get into Police Now?
It is competitive. Police Now's ten-year report says it averaged 24 applications per place, against six for police officer roles generally; that is Police Now's own figure. An evaluation of its detective pilot reported 93 participants selected from 3,995 applicants. Police Now does not publish pass rates for each stage, so we cannot tell you your chances at any one stage.
How much does Police Now pay?
Your force pays you on its own scale from day one, including at the academy. Police Now's programme page gives a starting salary of £32,256 to £43,689 depending on location, rising to £50,256 to £59,964 within seven years. Recent job descriptions quoted £32,256 in North Wales and Northamptonshire (2026/27 rates) and £42,210 for Counter Terrorism in the Met, which is the 2025/26 rate: about £43,688 from September 2026, because the Met starts recruits on pay point 2 (it says more than £43,000). The seven-year and sergeant ranges are also 2025/26 figures. Our Police Now salary guide and calculator work out take-home pay.
When do Police Now applications open?
As at 19 October 2026, Police Now's application portal said the March 2027 entry had closed and its programme page and FAQ said applications for the March 2028 start will open early next year, with no exact date. You can register interest by region on Police Now's site to be told when they open.
Which forces does Police Now work with?
Police Now says it has partnered with 37 of the 43 forces in England and Wales since 2015, but roles are offered force by force in each window. For the now closed March 2027 entry it listed roles in Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire, North Wales, Dorset and the Met; the July 2026 cohort joined the Met and West Midlands Police. Some forces are oversubscribed, so flexibility on location helps.
What happened to the NGLP and the National Detective Programme?
Police Now now runs one National Graduate Programme with four specialisms. When we checked, its old National Graduate Leadership Programme (NGLP) page redirected to the Neighbourhood specialism and its old National Detective Programme (NDP) page redirected to the Detective specialism. Counter Terrorism and Economic Crime follow the detective structure.
What degree do you need for Police Now?
A First, 2:1 or 2:2 in any subject, or a non-UK equivalent, held or expected by the programme start date, plus level 3 qualifications equivalent to at least two A levels. A degree in Professional Policing in Practice is not eligible (Police Now does not name the pre-join BSc, so check if you hold one). Some forces also ask for level 2 English and maths. Final-year students and career changers can apply.
Is Police Now a fast track to promotion?
No. You join as a constable or trainee detective constable. Police Now offers alumni support for promotion and the College of Policing's Fast Track programme and its ten-year report says 25% of the 2024 Fast Track to Inspector intake were its graduates (its own figure), but promotion follows the normal national processes.
Can you leave Police Now early?
You are employed by your force on a permanent contract, so you can resign as any officer can. We found no repayment or tie-in terms on Police Now's public pages, but we could not see the contract you would sign, so ask Police Now and your force in writing before accepting. During probation a force can also end your service under the probationer rules in the Police Regulations 2003.
Does Police Now use the National Sift and OAC?
No. Police Now runs its own selection: an online application, an untimed online immersive assessment and a virtual assessment centre, assessed against its own ten competencies and four values. We found no reference on Police Now's pages to the College of Policing's National Sift or online assessment centre.
Can specials, PCSOs or police staff apply to Police Now?
Yes. Current or former special constables, PCSOs, cadets and police staff can apply. Anyone who has attested and served as a police officer cannot. You can also apply to Police Now and directly to a force at the same time, but must choose if you receive two offers.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 19 October 2026. Rules and figures change, so check the source for the date you are reading this. Where we could not confirm something from an official or independent source, the page says so rather than guessing. Spotted something out of date? See our corrections policy.
- Police Now: National Graduate Programme : two-year programme; four specialisms; residential academy; level 6 or 7 qualification; salary ranges; March 2028 start with applications opening early next year; headline eligibility; Performance and Development Coach (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: application portal (March 2027 entry) : states that applications for the March 2027 entry have closed (read 19 October 2026) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: When will applications next open? : March 2028 start; applications open early next year (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: About us : independent social enterprise supported by the Home Office; founded 2015; mission; awards; registered charity 1168427 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: 2015 to 2025, A Decade of Transformation report : history by year (2015 Met pilot, 2016 charity, 2017 and 2018 force numbers, 2019 detective, 2021 Frontline Leadership Programme, 2023 counter terrorism, 2024 economic crime); 3,471 officers; 24 applications per place; 25% of 2024 Fast Track to Inspector intake (all Police Now's own figures) (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood specialism : eight-week academy; eight programme stages; secondment in year two; old NGLP page redirects here (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Detective specialism : 13-week academy; old National Detective Programme page redirects here (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Counter Terrorism specialism : 13-week academy; counter terrorism work from year two; residency of five years (West Midlands) or ten (Met); Developed Vetting; a starting range of £31,164 to £42,210 that differs from the programme page (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Economic Crime specialism : detective structure with an economic crime focus (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Eligibility : degree classification; level 3 qualifications (two A levels or equivalent); Professional Policing in Practice degree excluded; age; residency; nationality and pre-settled status; driving licence; previous service; tattoos; finances; drugs, DNA and fingerprints (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: How to apply : application stages from online form to academy (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood immersive assessment : untimed, about 45 minutes plus practice; feedback report; neuroinclusive design (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood and Detective assessment centre pages : virtual, about half a day; exercises by specialism; outcome within ten working days (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: What we look for : ten competencies and four values (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Vetting process : declarations; automatic rejections; vetting levels by specialism (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: How long does the application process take? : two to three weeks to conditional offer; two to four months to final offer (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: What is the Professionalism in Policing meeting? : in person, about 15 minutes, on three ethical policing principles (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: What will the training involve? : residential, in-force and digital training; accommodation and meals; home at weekends; seven and twelve week figures that conflict with the programme page (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now help hub : shift work; applying to Police Now and a force at once; deferral requests; 37 of 43 forces; relocation; secondment of four weeks in year two; uniformed role; generative AI policy (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Partner with us : 37 forces since 2015; what forces provide (syndicate lead per ten officers, tutors, governance); detective milestones; Police Now's retention and NIE figures (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Forces : names of 37 forces partnered since 2015; programme ends on completing probation; relocation (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Why join : Police Now's own figures: 3,500+ graduates, 87% of alumni in policing, 64% career changers, 57% female, 58% never considered policing (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Alumni hub : promotion coaching and Fast Track support (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: Neighbourhood, Detective and Counter Terrorism job descriptions (March 2027 roles) : permanent contract; force salaries; leave; pension; paid from day one at the academy (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now news: recruits take oath as new Met and West Midlands officers (21 July 2026) : 124 recruits attested on 20 July 2026, Neighbourhood and Counter Terrorism (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now news: trainees achieve record results in national detective exam (26 June 2026) : Police Now's own NIE pass rate of 86.3% against a national 67%; over 1,200 detectives trained (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now news: almost 230 trainee detectives attested (18 March 2024) : detective programme launched 2019; first counter terrorism stream of 75 for the Met; LJMU graduate diploma; 36 forces and over 3,000 officers at that date (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now news: partnership with Liverpool John Moores University (22 September 2021) : Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice co-delivered with LJMU for joiners from 2022, based on DHEP (accessed 19 October 2026)
- MOPAC Evidence and Insight: Police Now Cohort 1 final evaluation report (December 2017) : first cohort of 67 joined the Met in July 2015, 55 graduated; six-week Summer Academy; independent charity from April 2016; findings on training, stigma and public confidence (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Birkbeck, University of London: evaluation of the Police Now NGLP 2021 to 2023 (September 2023, published February 2024) : independent academic evaluation commissioned by Police Now; recruitment drop-out points; supervisor ratings; participant experience over time (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Canterbury Christ Church University: evaluation of the National Detective Programme pilot 2019 to 2021 (August 2022) : 93 selected from 3,995 applicants; 97% retention at the end of the pilot; workload and support findings (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Northumbria Police and Crime Commissioner: key decision PCC/394/2019, Police Now : force contract for services with Police Now Enterprises Limited; 2020 fee per participant; split of costs between forces and grants; detective pilot from January 2019 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- GOV.UK: Police Uplift Programme, entry routes of officer recruits (16 May 2024) : Police Now programmes based on DHEP; 1,591 recruits (3%) via Police Now, November 2019 to March 2023 (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now: eyesight standards and fitness test guides (PDF, September 2023) : 15m bleep test to 5.4; retakes; eyesight standards (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Police Now FAQ: neurodiversity in recruitment and onboarding : blind screening; extra time for written exercises and reading; materials in advance (accessed 19 October 2026)
- Joining the Police: Ways into policing : lists Police Now graduate programmes under the older programme names (accessed 19 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
More for graduate applicants
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with Police Now, the College of Policing or any police force. It does not recruit or assess applicants. Police Now sets its own eligibility, selection and programme content and changes them between cohorts: check Police Now's own pages and your invitation before relying on anything here. Practice material on this page is original PolicePay material, not Police Now's. Details are as checked on 19 October 2026.