When Do Police Now
Applications Open?
Police Now recruits graduates in national windows, not all year round. This page tracks where the window stands, what we can verify about past intakes and what to do while it is closed. Facts are from Police Now's own pages, read on 21 October 2026.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 21 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Not yet. The March 2027 entry has closed. Police Now says applications for its next intake, starting in March 2028, "will open early next year", which means early 2027. It has not published a date or a closing date. Register interest with Police Now and use the alert below to hear when the window opens; in the meantime, check your eligibility, train for the bleep test and get your vetting history in order.
Recruitment window alerts
Get told when Police Now opens the March 2028 window
Police Now says applications open early next year, with no date yet. Leave your email and we will tell you when the window opens, with the forces and the closing date once Police Now publishes them. You can add up to two forces as well. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Where the Police Now window stands today
We read Police Now's FAQ, programme page and application portal on 21 October 2026. This is what they said:
| Intake | Status | What Police Now says |
|---|---|---|
| March 2027 entry | Closed | Police Now's application portal: "We have now closed applications for the March 2027 entry to the National Graduate Programme." |
| March 2028 start | Not open yet | Police Now's FAQ and programme page: applications "will open early next year, with a start date of March 2028". No date given. |
| Register interest | Open | Police Now's site has a register interest form so you are told when applications open. |
| Apply buttons on Police Now's site | Still point to the March 2027 portal | That portal now shows the closed message, so the buttons are not a sign that a window is open. |
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.
Several Police Now pages still carry an "Apply now" button. On 21 October 2026 those buttons linked to the March 2027 portal, which says applications have closed. Older Police Now vacancy pages also show past deadlines and a placeholder "Deadline: X". Go by the FAQ and the portal message, not the button.
What "early next year" means for you
Police Now's wording is "early next year". Read in October 2026, that is early 2027. It is not a date and Police Now does not say how long the window will stay open. Two other lines on its pages matter:
- Spaces are limited. Police Now's specialism pages say applications "may close early". Plan to apply within the first weeks of the window, not at the end.
- The start is March 2028. If you apply in early 2027 and get an offer, the checks take months, but you would still not start until March 2028. That is over a year from application to academy.
If a March 2028 start is later than you want, you do not have to wait. Forces run their own graduate route (DHEP) and other routes on their own timetables. See Police Now or a force now? below.
Past Police Now intakes we can verify
Police Now does not publish a history of its application windows (open and close dates). What it does publish is news about each cohort as it attests or graduates. These are the dated facts we could confirm on its site:
| Date | What happened | Source |
|---|---|---|
| 18 March 2024 | 229 trainee detectives attested, including Police Now's first Counter Terrorism Policing stream (75 recruits for the Met) | Police Now news, March 2024 |
| 4 November 2024 | Economic crime stream announced as a pilot with City of London Police, starting March 2025. Police Now said the stream drew over 250 applications | Police Now news, 4 November 2024 |
| 12 November 2024 | Counter terrorism stream extended to the North West and West Midlands regions for 2025. Police Now said the detective programme drew over 3,100 applications and the CT stream over 1,000 (about 19 per place) | Police Now news, 12 November 2024 |
| 17 March 2025 | 148 trainee detectives attested: 12 economic crime (City of London), 61 counter terrorism (Met, West Midlands and Greater Manchester) and 75 CID | Police Now news, 17 March 2025 |
| 22 May 2026 | First counter terrorism cohort graduated after two years; a third CT cohort was due to start in July 2026 with the Met and West Midlands Police | Police Now news, 22 May 2026 |
| 20 July 2026 | 124 recruits for the Met and West Midlands Police took the oath (Neighbourhood and Counter Terrorism), with up to 13 weeks of academy training | Police Now news, 21 July 2026 |
| By 21 October 2026 | March 2027 entry closed; March 2028 window expected early 2027 | Police Now portal and FAQ |
Two patterns stand out. The main detective intake has attested in March (2024 and 2025) and Police Now has also run a July intake (2026). And the specialisms have grown: Counter Terrorism started as a Met pilot in 2024 and Economic Crime as a City of London pilot in 2025. The application counts in the table are Police Now's own figures; we have not seen them independently checked.
We could not confirm the exact dates past windows opened and closed from Police Now's own pages, so we do not give them. Third-party graduate job sites list deadlines, but those can differ from Police Now's portal, which can close early.
What happens once the window opens
The stages below are from Police Now's own process pages. They have been stable across recent windows, but check the job description for your specialism and force when the March 2028 window opens.
| Stage | What it is | Detail |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Online application | About 30 to 45 minutes. No CV or cover letter. You choose a specialism and a force or region. |
| 2 | Immersive assessment (online) | Untimed, about 45 minutes, with a short unscored practice. Everyone gets a feedback report. |
| 3 | Virtual assessment centre | Around half a day: an interview, a written exercise and role play style tasks, depending on specialism. |
| 4 | Conditional offer | Police Now says this can come within two to three weeks of applying. |
| 5 | Pre-employment checks | Vetting, medical, the bleep test, biometrics, a drugs test and a short Professionalism in Policing meeting. Typically two to four months to a final offer. |
| 6 | Final offer and academy | Sworn in as a constable and paid by your force from day one. 8 weeks (Neighbourhood) or 13 weeks (Detective routes). |
For timings, what each stage asks for and where applications stall, see the full Police Now application process guide, the immersive assessment guide and the assessment centre guide.
What to do while Police Now applications are closed
The months before a window opens are the best time to clear the things that stop people later in the process. Each row below rests on a published Police Now rule or stage.
| When | What to do | Where to start |
|---|---|---|
| Now | Register for the alert below and on Police Now's own register interest form | You hear the day the window opens, not weeks later |
| Now | Check eligibility: A First, 2:1 or 2:2 in any subject (or a non-UK equivalent), held or expected by the programme start date | Free eligibility checker |
| Now | Start bleep test training if you cannot already reach level 5.4 | How to train for level 5.4 |
| Now | Gather your address history, finances and any police contact for vetting | Free vetting evidence builder |
| Next 2 to 3 months | Practise scenario questions in the immersive assessment style | Free Police Now practice test |
| Next 2 to 3 months | Write out four or five real examples against Police Now's competencies | Competencies and values |
| Before the window | Practise a written report against the clock | Written exercise examples |
| Before the window | Practise interview answers out loud | Police Now interview questions |
| When it opens | Apply early: Police Now's pages say spaces are limited and applications may close early | Police Now's application portal |
Most of these steps also help if you end up applying to a force instead, because the bleep test, vetting and competency-based questions are common to every route.
Fitness: get to level 5.4 before you need it
Police Now's fitness guide (September 2023) sets the 15-metre multi-stage fitness test, the bleep test, at level 5.4. It comes after the conditional offer, with a gap of six weeks between attempts and up to three attempts in that guide. Police Now's newer pages say "bleep test" without a level, so check your offer letter, but 5.4 is the national standard in England and Wales.
Level 5.4 is not hard for most active people, but it catches out people who leave training until after the offer. Start with our free 15m bleep test simulator to see where you are, then follow the bleep test training plan.
Vetting prep: the stage you can start today
Police Now says vetting can take around one to three months and varies by force and specialism. Its eligibility page lists the things that can end an offer, including:
- an outstanding county court judgment, bankruptcy in the last three years or a current IVA (stay up to date with payments);
- undeclared convictions or cautions, including as a juvenile;
- a custodial, suspended or deferred prison sentence, sex offender registration or being on the police barred list;
- current illegal drug use.
Counter Terrorism has stricter rules: UK nationality, up to ten years' UK residence and vetting up to Developed Vetting. See our Police Now Counter Terrorism guide.
The single most useful thing you can do now is write down your address history, money position and any police contact, with dates. That is what the vetting forms ask for and gaps are what cause delays.
Free Police Now tools to use while you wait
- Police Now eligibility checker: answer a few questions and see which of Police Now's published rules you meet and what to check.
- Police Now practice test: original scenario questions in the style of the immersive assessment, with an explanation for each.
- Police Now salary calculator: take-home pay by force and specialism on 2026/27 rates.
- Police mock interview: say an answer out loud and get a score. It uses the College of Policing's values, not Police Now's framework, so treat it as practice in speaking to a structure.
Police Now or a force now?
If you are a graduate, Police Now is one of two graduate routes. The other is the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), which forces run themselves. Waiting for Police Now makes sense if you want its academy, its coaching and a specialism it offers. Applying to a force now makes sense if you want an earlier start or a force Police Now may not list.
| Police Now (March 2028) | Force route now | |
|---|---|---|
| When you can apply | Only in Police Now's national window (next one expected early 2027) | Whenever a force opens the route; many forces recruit through the year |
| Start date | March 2028 for the next national intake | Set by the force; often sooner |
| Selection | Police Now's own online assessment and virtual assessment centre | National application form, National Sift, online assessment centre and an in-person force interview |
| Forces | A few partner forces per specialism each window | Any force that has the route open |
| Degree needed | Yes, a 2:2 or above in any subject | DHEP: yes. PCDA and PCEP: no |
| Can you do both? | Yes. Police Now's FAQ says you can apply to a force at the same time and choose if you get two offers | Yes |
See which forces have routes open on our police jobs page and compare the routes in Police Now vs DHEP vs PCDA and DHEP explained.
The specialisms you can expect
Police Now's programme page lists four specialisms. It has not said which will be offered in each force for March 2028. For reference, these were the recent forces:
| Specialism | Academy | Recent forces |
|---|---|---|
| Neighbourhood | 8 weeks | Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire and North Wales (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
| Detective | 13 weeks | North Wales (March 2027 roles) |
| Economic Crime | 13 weeks | Dorset (March 2027 roles) |
| Counter Terrorism | 13 weeks | Metropolitan Police (March 2027 roles); Met and West Midlands (July 2026 cohort) |
Detective-route guides: detective programme, counter terrorism and economic crime.
Mistakes people make about the Police Now window
- "The apply button is live, so it must be open." On 21 October 2026 the buttons led to a portal that said the March 2027 entry had closed.
- "I can apply for a 2027 start." The window that opens early in 2027 is for a March 2028 start.
- "I will wait until near the deadline." Police Now says applications may close early.
- "Registering interest is an application." It is not. It only means Police Now will tell you when applications open.
- "I cannot apply to a force while I wait." Police Now's FAQ says you can and choose if you get two offers.
What we could not verify
- The exact date the March 2028 window opens, or how long it will stay open. Police Now has not published either.
- The open and close dates of past Police Now windows. Police Now's own pages do not list them and third-party job listings are not a reliable record.
- Which forces and specialisms will be in the March 2028 window.
- Whether Police Now will run another intake outside March (such as the July 2026 cohort) in 2027 or 2028.
Recruitment window alerts
Do not miss the March 2028 window
We will email you when Police Now opens applications, with the forces and the closing date once published. Add up to two forces too if you are also thinking of applying direct. Occasional emails, written by hand. Unsubscribe any time.
Frequently Asked Questions
When do Police Now applications open?
Police Now says applications for its National Graduate Programme "will open early next year, with a start date of March 2028". Read on 21 October 2026, that means early 2027. Police Now has not published an exact date, so the safest way to hear on the day is to register interest on its site and sign up for an alert.
Are Police Now applications open now?
No. When we checked on 21 October 2026, Police Now's application portal said it had closed applications for the March 2027 entry and the March 2028 window had not opened. Some apply buttons on Police Now's site still link to the March 2027 portal, which now shows the closed message.
What is the Police Now closing date?
There is no closing date for the March 2028 intake yet, because the window has not opened. Police Now's pages also say spaces are limited and applications may close early, so do not wait for a deadline: apply soon after the window opens.
When does the Police Now 2028 intake start?
Police Now gives a start date of March 2028 for the next National Graduate Programme intake. Police Now has also run intakes outside March: 124 recruits for the Met and West Midlands Police took the oath on 20 July 2026.
Can I apply to Police Now for 2027?
Not for a 2027 start. The March 2027 entry has closed. Applications that open in early 2027 are for the March 2028 start. If you want to start in 2027, look at the forces recruiting now on our police jobs pages and the DHEP, PCDA and PCEP routes.
How long does the Police Now process take once applications open?
Police Now says a conditional offer can come within two to three weeks of applying. Pre-employment checks (vetting, medical, fitness and the rest) typically take two to four months to a final offer. With a March 2028 start, there is usually a long gap between your offer and the academy.
What should I do while Police Now applications are closed?
Check you meet the eligibility rules, start training for the 15m bleep test to level 5.4, gather your vetting history (addresses, finances, any police contact), practise scenario questions and write out real examples against Police Now's competencies. Our free eligibility checker and practice test are built for this.
Can I apply to a police force while waiting for Police Now?
Yes. Police Now's FAQ says you can apply to a force through another route at the same time and that if you get offers from both you must choose one. A force application means the national process: the National Sift, the online assessment centre and an in-person force interview.
Which forces will be in the March 2028 Police Now window?
Police Now has not said. Its March 2027 roles were with Hampshire and Isle of Wight, Northamptonshire and North Wales (Neighbourhood), North Wales (Detective), Dorset (Economic Crime) and the Met (Counter Terrorism). Each window can differ, so check the job descriptions when the window opens.
Does registering interest guarantee me a place or an early application?
No. Registering interest only means Police Now will tell you when applications open. You still apply through the normal online application and assessments, against the same rules as everyone else.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 21 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: When will applications next open? (FAQ) : "Applications for our National Graduate Programme will open early next year, with a start date of March 2028"; register interest button (read 21 October 2026) (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now application portal (March 2027) : "We have now closed applications for the March 2027 entry to the National Graduate Programme" (read 21 October 2026) (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now: National Graduate Programme : four specialisms; applications open early next year for the March 2028 intake; academy lengths; starting salary range (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now: Eligibility : degree, level 3, age, residency and nationality rules (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: almost 230 trainee detectives attested (March 2024) : 229 attested on 18 March 2024, including the first Counter Terrorism Policing stream (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: pilot detective training for economic crime (4 November 2024) : economic crime pilot with City of London Police from March 2025; over 250 applications (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: counter terrorism workforce bolstered (12 November 2024) : CT stream extended to the North West and West Midlands; over 3,100 detective applications; CT stream over 1,000 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: over 145 trainee detectives attested (17 March 2025) : 148 attested; split by force and stream (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: first counter terrorism cohort graduates (22 May 2026) : first CT cohort graduated; third CT cohort due July 2026 with the Met and West Midlands (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now news: recruits take oath as new Met and West Midlands officers (21 July 2026) : 124 recruits took the oath on 20 July 2026; up to 13 weeks' training; register interest for March 2028 (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now: How long does the application process take? : conditional offer in as little as two to three weeks; pre-employment checks (accessed 21 October 2026)
- Police Now: Fitness test expectations and training plan (September 2023 PDF) : 15m bleep test to level 5.4 (accessed 21 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
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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 21 October 2026.