Northamptonshire Police Jobs

On 1 October 2026 the national joining the police website listed Northamptonshire Police as recruiting police constables through PCEP. Our own tracker, which reads the force's job board twice a day, reported: This force's recruitment system blocks automated checks, so we can't read it directly. Police staff, PCSO and special constable roles are advertised separately on the force's careers site, so a force can be closed to new constables and still have other vacancies open.

Apply directly to Northamptonshire Police through its own careers site. For police constable roles the national stages are an application form, the national sift (a situational judgement test and a behavioural styles questionnaire) and the College of Policing online assessment (a competency-based interview, a written exercise and a briefing exercise), followed by fitness, medical and vetting checks. Since 17 March 2026 the Police Regulations 2003 (regulation 10(1)(eb)) also require constable candidates, other than transferees, to pass an in-person interview with the force they apply to. Check Northamptonshire's recruitment page for how it runs that stage. The force decides which entry routes it opens and when.

On Northamptonshire Police's own careers and vacancies pages, which is the only place an application can be made. Constable entry routes also appear on the national joining the police website's "which forces are recruiting" list. Job boards sometimes repost police staff adverts, but the force's own advert is the one with the current closing date.

New constables start on £32,255 a year (national pay point 1, no regional allowance), rising to £52,015 at the top of the constable scale, on rates from 1 September 2026. After income tax, National Insurance and the 12.88% pension contribution, the starting figure is roughly £1,952 a month. Increments move you up the scale each year, subject to satisfactory performance.

On 1 October 2026 the national site listed PCEP as open at Northamptonshire Police. Routes open and close separately, so a route missing from that list may simply be between intakes.

Nationally, yes: the PCDA and PCEP are open to people without a degree. The Home Office list in Annex BA lets a chief officer accept a level 3 qualification (such as two A levels), or equivalent experience, including service as a special constable or PCSO. Whether Northamptonshire Police is running either route at the moment is a matter for the force; on 1 October 2026 the national site listed PCEP as open there.

1,488 full-time equivalent officers (1,511 people) at 31 March 2026, according to the Home Office police workforce statistics published on 22 July 2026. In the year to 31 March 2026 the force took on 100 officers (FTE, excluding transfers) and 19 transferred in from other forces.

There is no published national timescale, and it varies by force, intake date and how quickly vetting and medical checks clear. The College of Policing's guide to joining describes the stages but does not give a fixed length. Our recruitment timeline planner lays out the stages so you can see where the waits usually fall.

Northamptonshire Police covers Northamptonshire, with headquarters at Wootton Hall. The main population centres include Northampton, Kettering, Corby. New officers are usually posted where the force needs them rather than to a station of their choosing, so it is worth being realistic about travelling across the whole force area.

Transfers between forces are decided by both chief officers and advertised by the receiving force when it has vacancies, so check Northamptonshire Police's careers site. Our guide to transferring between forces explains what happens to your pay point, pension and probation.