All new officers will study for degrees covering cyber crime and domestic abuse

ALL police officers will have degrees under new laws to bring the training of bobbies into the 21st century.

Kit Malthouse, the policing minister, has signed off regulations that will mean, from March next year, any officer completing their three-year probation will have gained a graduate-level qualification. The mandatory training programme to prepare officers to cope with the growing challenges, from tackling cyber threats and fraud to investigating rape and domestic abuse, will be same across all 43 police forces in England and Wales.

“Whether you’re in Durham or Dorset, the public would expect local cops to all go through up to date and rigorous training,” Mr Malthouse said. “These changes ensure the police keep pace with all developments in crime, and give each officer the tools they need to keep the public safe.”

There will be three routes into becoming a constable with the largest intake expected from school-leavers taking the new “police constable degree apprenticeship”.

They will require two A-levels and GCSES in English and Maths at C grade or above by the time they complete their training, 75 per cent of which will be on the job.

During the three-year programme, the trainee police will have to complete an evidence-based research project, which will be marked as part of their final assessment. The programmes have been created by the College of Policing, which sets standards for all officers.

Chief Constable Andy Marsh, the college’s chief executive, said: “[Crime] and the demands policing faces have changed radically, and the training we provide officers needs to reflect this.”