Police Community Support Officer Apprenticeship

Join us as a Police Community Support Officer (PCSO) Apprentice and take your first step into the world of policing. Applications are now open for our first PCSO apprenticeship intake, planned for April 2026. Start Your Career in Policing with a PCSO Apprenticeship and make a real difference in your community while earning and learning.

What You’ll Do:

As a PCSO Apprentice, you’ll work alongside trainers and experienced officers to:

• Engage with local communities to build trust and reduce crime
• Provide visible patrols to improve public safety
• Support vulnerable individuals and respond to incidents
• Gather intelligence and assist in investigations

What You’ll Learn:

Through a structured apprenticeship programme, you’ll gain:

• A nationally recognised qualification in community safety
• Practical policing skills and on-the-job experience
• Personal development and career progression opportunities

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

Police community support officer (level 4)

Course contents

• Foster, promote and maintain channels of communication and develop close working relationships with key groups, multi-agency partners and individuals across the community
• Communicate effectively, in accordance with the varied needs of differing situations, individuals, groups and communities, including those who may be victims, witnesses and vulnerable people, supporting diversity and inclusivity through their communications
• Provide initial support to vulnerable people and assess their needs for further support, including providing advice on accessing that support
• Gather, handle and submit information and intelligence from a variety of sources to support law enforcement and to maximise policing effectiveness
• Work under the direction of their line managers and community-based Police Constables, contribute to developing, planning and implementing preventative and problem-solving policing approaches to local concerns and issues, including providing assistance to review, analyse and share the results of evidence-based initiatives
• Work alongside partner organisations or as part of a multi-disciplinary team to improve, mitigate and solve community problems, issues or concerns
• Provide an initial response to incidents (where necessary) in-line with legal and organisational requirements and the limits of their responsibilities, including appropriate planning (e.g. strategies for managing traffic flow), for responses based on analysis of all relevant information at hand
• Provide support for victims and witnesses at policing incidents, including advice to identify and access sources of additional support (or accessing sources on behalf of individuals) and post-incident help, and where appropriate, delivering any necessary follow-up assistance
• Apply appropriate conflict management tactics e.g. appropriate communication (not hands on physical techniques) where absolutely necessary and in-line with the powers bestowed on them, issued equipment (where applicable), the training they have received and organisational policy and procedure