Roads Policing
Selection and Courses
How a serving officer gets into a roads policing unit: the three police driver levels, the pursuit qualifications, how long each qualification lasts, the legal standard police drivers are now judged by, and what roads posts ask for. From the College of Policing, legislation and HMICFRS.
Independent information, not advice · Sources checked 18 October 2026 · England and Wales unless stated
Build your driving qualifications first. The College of Policing's roads policing pathway says officers normally hold a response course and initial phase pursuit, developed through advanced driving and tactical phase pursuit (TPaC). Roads posts are advertised internally and usually selected by application and a Competency and Values Framework interview. Qualifications have fixed lives (five years for response, advanced and IPP; three for TPaC) and need refreshers. Since 2022 police drivers are judged against a careful and competent constable with the same training.
The three police driver levels
The College of Policing's police driving APP says: "There are three levels of police driver. These are: basic, response, advanced." Specialist vehicles and roles, such as pursuit, motorcycles and protection driving, sit on top and are set out in the Police Driving Curriculum.
| Driver level | What the APP says | Blue lights? |
|---|---|---|
| Basic | Must hold a full DVLA licence for the vehicle; must drive within the constraints of the Highway Code; must be trained to stop vehicles in routine circumstances (if force policy permits). Forces decide whether a practical assessment is also needed. | No authority to use emergency equipment to make progress |
| Response | Qualified and authorised to the standards in the Police Driving Curriculum to respond safely to incidents using response performance vehicles. | May use emergency equipment when the circumstances warrant it |
| Advanced | Qualified and authorised to the standards in the Police Driving Curriculum to respond safely to incidents using advanced performance vehicles. | May use emergency equipment when the circumstances warrant it |
The APP also sets how courses are run: driver training units must deliver courses "in compliance with the Police Driving Curriculum, Programme Specification and the Road Traffic Act 1988 (Police Driving: Prescribed Training) Regulations 2023". Response and advanced vehicles are categorised by a calculated performance value, which is why advanced drivers can use higher-performance cars than response drivers.
Prescribed courses and how long they last
Since 20 March 2023, the prescribed training regulations (SI 2023/185) list the police driving courses that count for the legal driving standard below. In England and Wales each course must be "delivered by a provider licensed by the College of Policing". The regulations also set how long each qualification lasts before a refresher:
| Prescribed course | Valid before a refresher is needed | Refresher length |
|---|---|---|
| Standard response driving | 5 years | 1 day |
| Advanced driving | 5 years | 1 day |
| Initial phase pursuit (IPP) | 5 years | 1 day |
| Tactical phase pursuit (TPaC) | 3 years | 2 days |
| Response motorcycling (courses from 1 April 2023) | 2 years | 2 days |
| Advanced motorcycling (courses from 1 April 2023) | 2 years | 2 days |
| Riding with a pillion passenger | 2 years | Half a day |
| Off-road driving; category B vans and passenger vehicles; escorting vehicles | Unlimited | Not specified |
The regulations also cover protection and covert driving, such as evasive and offensive driving, protected convoy, VIP protection driving and pre-surveillance motorcycle riding (most with a two-year life). What they do not set is the length of each initial course. That is up to each force's driver training unit.
A roads post depends on your tickets being current. The APP says officers using emergency vehicles on call must be "currently qualified and in 'refresher date' as response drivers (minimum)". A lapsed refresher can take you off the road until you redo it.
The legal standard police drivers are judged by
For years police drivers were judged against the same standard as members of the public. The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 changed that. Sections 5 and 6 amended the Road Traffic Act 1988 so that a constable driving for police purposes, who has undertaken prescribed training, drives carelessly "if (and only if) the way the person drives falls below what would be expected of a competent and careful constable who has undertaken the same prescribed training". The dangerous driving test uses "falls far below" against the same comparator.
The sections came into force on 26 October 2022 (SI 2022/1075, regulation 3) and apply only to driving after that date. The College's APP describes the change as "effective from 30 November 2022", when the prescribed training regulations took effect.
Why this matters for selection: the comparison is with a constable who has the same prescribed training as you, so the training you hold shapes the standard you are judged by. Expect a roads panel to test whether you understand the limits of your own driving authorisation.
The usual route into a roads unit
The College's roads policing career pathway describes who gets in and how:
"Experienced officers from other uniformed roles, such as response or neighbourhood policing, often enter roads policing roles. With the development of serious collision investigation units, officers with investigative backgrounds are also valued."
"Normally, you will have some form of driver training through a response course and initial phase pursuit. This will be developed further through an advanced driving course and tactical phase pursuit (TPaC) training."
In practice the order looks like this:
- Pass probation and get operational experience, usually on response.
- Response driving course, then initial phase pursuit, through your force's driver training unit.
- Apply for a roads post when one is advertised. Some forces train you to advanced and TPaC after you join the unit; others want them first.
- Advanced driving and TPaC, plus roads-specific training in traffic law and collision work.
Course places are limited and set by each driver training unit's capacity, so your timeline depends heavily on your force.
How roads posts are selected
There is no national roads selection process; forces advertise and select locally. As one published example, a Dorset Police roads policing team advert from January 2026, aimed at "experienced Roads Policing Constables or those with a Roads Policing background", listed:
- Advanced driver (required)
- Initial phase pursuit (required)
- Traffic law skills course or equivalent (required)
- TPaC (preferred)
Selection was by interview "assessed against the Competency and Values Framework (CVF)". Adverts aimed at officers without roads experience often ask for less, with training after selection. Read the essential and desirable criteria carefully: the paper sift is usually where people with the wrong tickets drop out.
Expect board questions on road safety (the College's pathway highlights the "fatal four": speeding, drink or drug driving, not wearing a seatbelt and mobile phone use), serious collision scene management, and your own driving judgement. Our original practice questions are in specialist role interview questions and answers.
Roads policing training once you are in
The College says roads officers receive training in "the core roads policing functions and the NPCC roads policing strategy", with a focus on road traffic legislation and the fatal four, and on "safely responding to and investigating road traffic collisions, involving serious, life-changing injuries and fatalities". Its in-role training list includes officer road safety, drink drug driving, roads policing scene manager, commercial vehicle enforcement and vehicle examination.
How consistent that training is depends on your force. When HMICFRS inspected roads policing in 2020 it found "there is no accredited national training programme for roads policing officers", that College modules "aren't mandatory", and that "forces have developed their own approaches". In one force new roads officers attended a three-week course; in another there had been no specific roads policing training for six years. HMICFRS made 13 recommendations. Ask what initial roads training your force gives.
Medical and fitness
The College lists no shuttle-run fitness level specifically for roads officers, so the standard 5.4 for officers who need personal safety training applies unless your force says otherwise. Its treadmill alternative table lists police drivers at 11 minutes 20 seconds.
The bigger medical point is eyesight and health for driving. The APP says "it is recommended that forces should also expect response and advanced drivers to meet the DVLA group 2 medical standards", and that questions about meeting them go to the force's medical department.
Specialising further within roads policing
The College lists specialisms within roads policing: drink and drug driving, collision scene management, vehicle examination, commercial vehicle enforcement, carriage of dangerous goods by road and family liaison. Two points for planning:
- Officers "responsible for investigating fatal and serious life-changing road traffic collisions are required to attain investigator status within the professionalising investigation programme (PIP)".
- Forensic collision investigators attend fatal and serious collisions to provide expert evidence to the serious collision investigation team and the courts.
For the day-to-day job and long-term career, see roads policing explained.
How to prepare
Our practical guidance:
- Get on the response and IPP courses early. Tell your supervisor and driver training unit you want them; they are the usual prerequisite.
- Keep a clean driving record. Your driving conduct and collision history are part of your record, and a poor one will not help an application for advanced training.
- Learn road traffic law properly. Our road policing law guide covers definitions, powers and standards of driving.
- Get involved in roads work now. Drink drive operations, collision scenes and road safety initiatives give you evidence for the board.
- Ask for an attachment. A few shifts with the roads unit show you the work and show them you.
- Check your eyesight and health against the DVLA group 2 standards if you are unsure, and raise it with occupational health.
What we could not verify
- Current lengths of the response, advanced, IPP and TPaC initial courses. Neither the APP nor the regulations set them.
- A national selection process or minimum service for roads policing posts. These are force decisions.
- Any HMICFRS follow-up inspection of roads policing in England and Wales since 2020.
- Amendments to the 2023 prescribed training regulations after they were made; check the latest version on legislation.gov.uk.
Frequently Asked Questions
What driving qualifications do you need for roads policing?
It depends on the post, but the College of Policing's roads policing career pathway says you will normally have a response course and initial phase pursuit, developed further through an advanced driving course and tactical phase pursuit (TPaC). A January 2026 Dorset Police roads policing advert, for example, required advanced driver and initial phase pursuit qualifications and a traffic law skills course, with TPaC preferred.
What are the police driver levels?
The College of Policing's police driving guidance sets three levels: basic, response and advanced. Basic drivers drive within the Highway Code and have no authority to use blue lights to make progress. Response and advanced drivers are trained to the Police Driving Curriculum and may use emergency equipment when the circumstances warrant it, in response or advanced performance vehicles respectively.
What is TPaC?
Tactical phase pursuit and containment training, the pursuit qualification above initial phase pursuit (IPP). Under the police driving prescribed training regulations, a TPaC qualification lasts three years before a two-day refresher is needed, against five years and a one-day refresher for IPP.
How are police drivers judged if they crash or are prosecuted?
Since the Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (sections 5 and 6, in force 26 October 2022), a constable driving for police purposes who has done prescribed training is judged against a competent and careful constable with the same prescribed training, not a member of the public. The College's guidance describes the change as effective from 30 November 2022, when the training regulations applied.
How long is an advanced police driving course?
We could not find a current official course length. The College's guidance and the prescribed training regulations set the standards and refresher periods (one day every five years for advanced driving), not initial course lengths, which are set by each driver training unit. Ask your force's driver training unit.
Is there a fitness test for roads policing?
The College of Policing lists no shuttle-run level specifically for roads officers. Its treadmill alternative table does list police drivers at 11 minutes 20 seconds. Separately, the College recommends forces expect response and advanced drivers to meet DVLA group 2 medical standards.
Do roads policing officers need to be detectives?
Officers who investigate fatal and serious life-changing collisions must attain investigator status within the Professionalising Investigation Programme, according to the College's roads policing career pathway. Other roads roles do not.
Does advanced driving training transfer between forces?
Training must be delivered by a provider licensed by the College of Policing in England and Wales, and the qualifications have national validity periods. Whether a receiving force accepts it outright or wants a local assessment, and whether it has a roads vacancy, is up to that force.
Sources and how we checked them
Every factual claim on this page was written from the sources below, read on 18 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.
- College of Policing APP: Police driving : basic, response and advanced levels; Police Driving Curriculum; PCSC Act change effective 30 November 2022; DVLA group 2 recommendation (accessed 18 October 2026)
- The Road Traffic Act 1988 (Police Driving: Prescribed Training) Regulations 2023 (SI 2023/185), legislation.gov.uk : in force 20 March 2023; licensed providers; course validity and refresher lengths (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, section 5 (dangerous driving: constables) : competent and careful constable test for dangerous driving (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022, section 6 (careless driving: constables) : competent and careful constable test for careless driving (accessed 18 October 2026)
- The Police, Crime, Sentencing and Courts Act 2022 (Commencement No. 3) Regulations 2022 (SI 2022/1075), regulation 3 : sections 5 to 7 in force 26 October 2022 (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Roads policing career pathway : who enters roads policing, usual driver training route, fatal four, PIP for collision investigators, specialisms (accessed 18 October 2026)
- HMICFRS: Roads policing: Not optional (2020, PDF) : no accredited national roads policing training; force training examples; 13 recommendations (accessed 18 October 2026)
- College of Policing: Job-related fitness standards : treadmill standard for police drivers (accessed 18 October 2026)
- Dorset Police: Roads Policing Team advert, January 2026 (DOCX) : required and preferred qualifications; CVF interview (accessed 18 October 2026)
On this topic elsewhere
More in this guide series
Practice, fitness and pay
Disclaimer
PolicePay.co.uk is an independent guide. It is not affiliated with, endorsed by or produced by the College of Policing, the Home Office or any police force. Specialist selection is run by each force (or regional collaboration) and criteria, tenure rules, fitness standards and course lengths differ, so check your force's current advert and policy before you apply. Practice questions on this site are original PolicePay material, not real selection or exam content. Details apply to England and Wales unless stated. Details are as checked on 18 October 2026.