The three PEQF entry routes into UK policing — PCDA, DHEP, and Pre-Join Degree — plus the older IPLDP/IPCDP legacy route.
Unofficial independent resource — always verify with official sources (College of Policing, your force, PFEW).
Since 2020, initial police training in England & Wales is set by the College of Policing's Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF). Every new constable in E&W joins via one of the three PEQF routes: the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), the Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), or the Pre-Join Degree in Professional Policing.
All three end at the same operational standard — a fully-warranted police constable on probation — but they differ in duration, whether you already hold a degree, and how the classroom / operational time is split. The older IPLDP / IPCDP route (Initial Police Learning and Development Programme, sometimes called Initial Police Constable Development Programme) has been superseded in E&W but is included below for context. Police Scotland and PSNI have their own non-PEQF entry structures — covered on their per-force pages.
Sources: College of Policing — Joining the police · PEQF overview. Always confirm entry criteria with the specific force you're applying to — some forces set higher-than-minimum requirements or run additional pre-application programmes.