In a careers assembly aimed at all Year 9s at the Crowborough based school, DC Kayleigh Hollobone and Emily Baccus-Waterman presented a range of routes into the police for the pre-GCSE pupils, explaining that future officers could enter the force at several career-stages.
Outlining the professional and financial advantage of the three-year vocational Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), DC Hollobone said: “You will be employed as a police officer from day one, whilst studying a degree in Professional Policing Practice, resulting in a degree but with no student debt.
“Officers are paid a full wage and are allocated study days every week to support their learning.”
For those entering the police with a degree already, DC Hollobone offered her own experience as a possible model, explaining: “As a degree holder already, Sussex Police are supporting me in a Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice; a great personal and professional opportunity for development.”
In a separate workshop afterwards, the school’s Year 12 Criminology and Uniformed Services students ‘investigated’ a number of fictional crime scene situations.
Watching the proceedings was Beacon Academy’s head of psychology and criminology, Deborah Morrell, who said: “The scenarios ranged from a probable break-in at a warehouse to a crashed car where the occupants had fled the scene.
“The students were very animated in their groups, discussing what type of evidence might be available and coming up with some intriguing explanations for each situation,” she added.
The force is already planning a future visit to the school, to outline non-officer roles, which would include victim and witness support, contact handlers who handle 999 and 101 calls, radio operation and work in the intelligence bureau.
