Cumbria Constabulary Degree Apprentices - One Year On!

The county’s first-ever cohort of officers who simultaneously work as operational police officers whilst studying towards a university degree have completed their first year.

The officers, a group of 18, began their careers at Cumbria Constabulary in February last year when they undertook an intensive 22-week initial training course before continuing their development as police officers working across the county.

This cohort was the first in Cumbria to enter the police service by the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) route, which is three-year training programme which sees the individual a degree in Professional Policing Practice with the University of Central Lancashire (UCLAN) whilst serving as a police officer.

The anniversary of their attestation coincided with National Apprenticeship Week (8th Feb -14th Feb).

PC Charlie Parsonage, who is a one of the officers who has completed her first year and is a response officer in west Cumbria, said: “My first year in policing has been equally brilliant and challenging, especially when joining the force just prior to a global pandemic. It is fair to say there have been some highs and lows but policing really is a job like no other, every day is completely different and I challenge myself every day. “I am extremely proud to be a part of the police, protecting the public and working alongside some amazing colleagues. I can’t wait to see what the next two years as a response officer brings.” There are a number of ways in which individuals who wish to embark on a career as a police officer can apply to join Cumbria Constabulary, with bespoke training for those without a degree or those with pre-existing degree qualifications.

Superintendent Lisa Hogan, Head of People at Cumbria Constabulary, said: “This is a pleasing milestone for this cohort to achieve. They have come so far in just one year and are proactively making a positive difference to our communities.

“This new process acknowledges the ever-increasing complexities in crime and recognises the high levels of skill and professionalism a police officer needs to keep people in Cumbria safe. The PCDA route provides an individual with an excellent opportunity to achieve a degree whilst gaining vital on-the-job experience as a police officer.

“Our constabulary remains one of the highest performing forces in the UK and Cumbria is one of the safest places to live. I would encourage anyone with a passion to serve the public and is looking for a rewarding career to consider applying.”

Find out more about our PCDA entry route.

Is policing right for me?

Starting a career in the police can be one of the best things you’ll ever do. You’ll be able to make a real difference in your community, reducing crimes and making people safer. But being a police officer isn’t for everyone – it’s one of the most challenging careers you can choose, being physically, mentally and emotionally demanding.

Find out if policing is right for you by taking this quiz!

Special Constable recruitment is open!

The Special Constabulary is a voluntary body, whose officers form a vital part of the police family, working alongside their regular colleagues to police the communities of Cumbria. Specials perform a variety of police duties to support regular officers with the day-to-day policing of Cumbria. Specials have the same powers as regular officers, wear the same uniform and carry the same equipment as regular officers.

People become a Special Constable for a variety of reasons. Some people have free time and have a desire to give something back to their community, some people are very happy in their present job but want something totally different in their spare time and some people may have wanted to work in the police but for different reasons they have gone down a different career path.

In all these circumstances the Special Constabulary gives you the opportunity to have a second career. This is a great opportunity to meet people from all walks of life and gain experience in a wide range of policing duties.

If you are interested in becoming a Special Constable you can find out more, meet some of our serving Specials and apply here

We're also hosting a Twitter Q&A on our @CumbriaSpecials account on 3rd March between 6-7pm,  which will be the opportunity to ask our team some questions about the role, expectations and applying!

Recruitment closes on 26th April and the planned start date for the intake is September 2021

Student Officer Blog!

PC Jodie Mckibben joined Cumbria Police in Dec 2020 as part of a PCDA cohort and has been keeping us up to date with her training journey so far. See what her, and the rest of her cohort got up to this month!

1st Feb 2021

F20 (the name given to our cohort as we joined at the end of 2020) loved the PST! (Personal Safety Training). We are feeling a lot more confident now after practicing and learning a lot over the past 2 weeks. Have a look at the photos below!

5th Feb 2021

That's another week gone! I can't believe how fast everything is going. This week has all been about witnesses and how important they are. Here are some quotes from the class:

"Its very easy to get caught up in catching criminals, of course, because it will be our job. But it is so important to give the best service to the victims that we will be working with everyday" 

"We all enjoyed working with 'witnesses' and taking statements from them".

Police Officer Recruitment Online Event!

On Thursday 18th Feb we hosted an online recruitment event for anyone interested in applying to become a police officer with Cumbria Constabulary. We heard from officers and staff in various departments across the force such as Operation Support, Crime, Learning and Development and Response policing.

If you missed the event and would like to watch it back you can do so here.

If you still have some questions that we didn't manage to get to, you can send us your questions either via email: policeofficerrecruit@cumbria.police.uk or you can send us a message on Facebook

Interview Tips! If you have applied to become a PC and have your interview coming up soon, we know this can be a daunting process and can be nerve-wracking. It's best to make sure you are as prepared as you can be and have done all your research before the interview. At the moment your interview will be via a Teams video call, due to Covid, and it will be held by two members of the Constabulary - normally a Sergeant and a PC. It will last around 30 minutes, giving you approximately 5 minutes to answer each question.

Prepping for the interview

• Know the job you are going for – Do some research on the role of a police officer and our key priorities at Cumbria Constabulary and current objectives.
• Study the Level 1 CVF document and think of examples of where you have demonstrated each of the values using the criteria beneath the level 1 headings. Your interview questions will be relating to this criteria.
• Think about what you did, how you did it, why it was successful, what you learnt, etc.

At the interview

• Ideally, have more than one example to demonstrate your competence in each area. Recent examples are better, but not essential.
• If you don’t have examples in a work-based environment, it may be that you have gained skills in a different setting – for example, have you taken part in any volunteering activities or  been part of a club?

Remember! 
The interview is a conversation to find out a bit more about you, so be yourself and try to relax and take in the questions, the panel will have been in your shoes before! If you go completely blank, ask to come back to that question later, you will be given an opportunity to go back to any of the questions at the end.

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Other Vacancies

Want to work for Cumbria Police but not interested in being a Police Officer? We have plenty of other opportunities available as a staff member! See our current vacancies below. These are updated regularly here

ICT Business System Analyst Salary: £26,865 to £28,725 Per year Closing date: 9th March 5pm Location: ICT Dept at HQ 37 Hours per week Permanent  THE JOB: Our ICT department prides itself on its delivery of the innovative, cutting-edge solutions and we are looking to recruit a confident Business Systems Analyst to join the team to help to support the effective delivery of policing services through the management, administration, development and exploitation of business systems, to provide high quality, customer focused services.    Click here for further details

Part-Time Firearm & Shotgun Enquiry Officer Salary: £21,135 to £23,406 per year (pro-rata) Closing date: 8th March 5pm Working from home and collecting work from Barrow Station once per week 18.5 Hours per week Permanent THE JOB: The successful candidate will be working to meet the requirements of the Constabulary and, within reason, the convenience of customers, ensuring legal time constraints are met.  There may, therefore, be a requirement to work evenings and weekends. The role will involve using your knowledge of firearms legislation and investigative skills, reporting accordingly, to allow fully informed decisions to be made regarding the suitability of individuals to hold certificates and permit. You will work from home, using your own vehicle, being paid Essential User allowance and mileage within the geographical area of work from either Barrow Police Station or home, whichever is the lesser distance. Click here for further details

PPU Support Officer Salary: £19,452 to £23,406 per year (pro-rata) Closing date: 5th March 5pm Location: Based within Referral Unit, HQ 22.2 Hours per week Permanent THE JOB: To research, provide and quality assure information for the Public Protection Unit (PPU) in relation to Domestic Abuse (DA), Vulnerable Child (VC) and Vulnerable Adult (VA) matters, helping to ensure that information and records are accurate, up to date and available. The post holder will also be required to provide resilience and assistance in the administration of the Domestic Violence Disclosure Scheme (DVDS) and the DVDS Panel. Click here for further details

Digital Marketing Officer Salary: £26,865 to £28,725 per year Closing date: 9th March 5pm Location: Based within Marketing and Communications, HQ 37 Hours per week Permanent THE JOB: Use your digital skills to help keep Cumbria safe. We need you to be enthusiastic, innovative, and able to create engaging contact to raises awareness and understanding of the work the Constabulary does to save lives, tackle and prevent crime, whilst maintaining and improving public confidence.  We're looking for someone who has a passion and interest in digital communications and enjoys delivering high profile digital projects and campaigns. You will have experience of developing creative, innovative and engaging content using a range of methods such as graphics, videos and animation packages. *Anyone who applied for the recent temporary role and would like to be considered for this permanent role, can email csd.employeeservices@cumbria.police.uk and request this. Click here for further details

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