Police Community Support Officer Apprenticeship
Merseyside Police
Apprenticeship summary
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.
Closing date: January 30, 2026
Higher
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
Initial training:
- 16 weeks classroom based training. This includes a 2-week patrol experience working in the community shadowing PCSO Mentors undertaking their role.
On completion of initial training:
- 6 weeks tutor phase working alongside an experienced PCSO
- 28 weeks full occupational competency phase where you will be on independent patrol, gathering evidence to complete your apprenticeship including the Level 4 Diploma
- 13 weeks phase of mock end point assessments and then the final end point assessment
- Building a workforce that represents our communities is important to us
- We aim to attract & keep people with the best skills & highest potential
- Opportunites to progress to other roles within Merseyside Police are available after a period of probation
Employer
Merseyside Police
Merseyside Police was formed in 1974 and serves a population of around 1.5 million people, covering an area of 647 square kilometres. We currently employ over 6000 people in a variety of roles, including Police Officers, Police Community Support Officers, Police Support Staff, Special Police Officers and Volunteers. At Merseyside Police, we believe in putting our communities first in everything we do. We are proud to deliver an excellent policing service and we will continue to work with our communities to tackle the issues that concern them most. Merseyside Police is made up of many different departments. Each department has a different focus, but they all work together towards the vision of providing the region with excellent policing. Our services include helping to create a safer Merseyside by using our expertise to design out crime. We are also responsible for preparing for emergencies, involved in the Policing of all the major events across Merseyside.
Training
THE CHIEF CONSTABLE OF MERSEYSIDE
Apprenticeship standard:Police community support officer (level 4)