Leaving the police

Jobs for ex-police officers in the UK: 15 routes and what they pay

9,240 full-time-equivalent officers left forces in England and Wales in the year to March 2026 (Home Office, July 2026). Below are 15 civilian routes with ONS pay for each. Two have a median above the £50,256 top of the constable scale, led by risk manager at £59,834 (ONS ASHE 2025).

Updated

Leaving the police in numbers

Each figure comes from the body that publishes it. One gap matters: ONS has not published reliable 2025 pay for police officers, so the pay comparisons here use the constable pay scale.

15 routes out of the police at a glance

The change column compares each job's ONS full-time median with the top of the constable scale, £50,256 from September 2025. That scale is basic pay, while ONS reports what employees earned over a year, so treat the column as a rough guide rather than an exact difference.

Where police officers can go, and what it paysMedian gross annual pay for full-time employees, UK, tax year to April 2025.
JobUK median payChange vs top of constable scaleDegree usually neededApprenticeship (lowest level listed)
Fraud investigator£44,007−£6,249NoLevel 4, 24 months
Intelligence analyst£41,128−£9,128NoLevel 4, 18 months
Cyber security analyst£54,647+£4,391NoLevel 4, 24 months
Trading standards officer£38,963−£11,293NoLevel 4, 24 months
Security manager£44,007−£6,249NoLevel 3, 18 months
Border Force officer£44,007−£6,249NoLevel 3, 12 months
Compliance officer£50,083−£173NoLevel 3, 15 months
Risk manager£59,834+£9,578NoLevel 6, 36 months
Health and safety adviser£46,444−£3,812NoLevel 3, 24 months
Probation services officer£30,087−£20,169NoLevel 3, 18 months
Probation officerNot publishedn/aNoNone listed
Safeguarding officer£31,001−£19,255NoLevel 3, 18 months
Chartered legal executive£35,507−£14,749NoLevel 6, 60 months
Secondary school teacher£47,632−£2,624YesLevel 6, 9 months
Driving instructorNot publishedn/aNoNone listed

Sources: ONS, Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional), Table 14.7a; Skills England apprenticeship standards (retrieved 29 September 2026), published . Full-time medians unless marked. Pay covers the whole ONS unit group behind each job.

Not published: ONS suppressed the 2025 figure for this group on quality grounds.

Constable scale: £31,164 to £50,256 from 1 September 2025 (Home Office evidence to the PRRB, Annex A, published 27 March 2026). A 3.5% award applies from September 2026.

Each route in detail

For each job: why police skills carry over, the realistic way in, the checks the National Careers Service lists, whether you need a degree, and the ONS figure with its caveats. Pay changes are not shown on these cards because ONS has no police figure to compare against.

Investigation and intelligence

The most direct use of police skills. Expect to add a specialist qualification, such as counter-fraud or trading standards exams, rather than start again.

FromPolice officerToFraud investigator

Median pay£44,007a year

Interviewing, handling evidence, building a case file and giving evidence are the job, applied to fraud against an organisation.

Way in

Live fraud investigator jobs

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3319 "Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.", not only fraud investigator roles. ONS publishes pay for protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified, a group that also includes security managers, private investigators and Border Force officers.

FromPolice officerToIntelligence analyst

Median pay£41,128a year

If you have used intelligence reports, briefed a team or worked in CID or an intelligence unit, the analysis side of the work is familiar.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Intelligence analyst, level 4, typically 18 months
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: be over 18 years of age; be a British citizen; have lived in the UK for the last 3 years; pass enhanced background checks; have a good level of fitness; pass a medical check.
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live intelligence analyst jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2434 "Business and related research professionals", not only intelligence analyst roles.

FromPolice officerToCyber security analyst

Median pay£54,647a year

Digital evidence, online fraud and harm cases give useful context, but the technical skills are new, so budget real time for training.

Way in

Live cyber security analyst jobsNational Careers Service profileHow exposed is it to AI?

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2135 "Cyber security professionals", not only cyber security analyst roles.

FromPolice officerToTrading standards officer

Median pay£38,963a year

Investigating complaints, taking statements and preparing prosecution files, under consumer law instead of criminal law.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Regulatory compliance officer, level 4, typically 24 months
  • Apprenticeship: Trading standards professional, level 6, typically 36 months
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass background checks.
  • The National Careers Service says a law degree, or one with consumer protection units, can exempt you from some professional exams, and some councils sponsor trainees.
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live trading standards officer jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3581 "Inspectors of standards and regulations", not only trading standards officer roles.

Security, borders and risk

Security managers and Border Force officers share one ONS pay figure with fraud investigators (protective service associate professionals), so compare them on the work, not the number.

FromPolice officerToSecurity manager

Median pay£44,007a year

Incident response, risk assessment, briefing staff and working with the police from the other side of the table.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Security first line manager, level 3, typically 18 months
  • Apprenticeship: Protective security adviser, level 4, typically 21 months
  • Licence: SIA licence (Security Industry Authority)
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass enhanced background checks; be over 18 years of age.
  • An SIA licence costs £204 from 1 April 2026 and lasts 3 years (Security Industry Authority).
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live security manager jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3319 "Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.", not only security manager roles. ONS publishes pay for protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified, a group that also includes fraud investigators, private investigators and Border Force officers.

FromPolice officerToBorder Force officer

Median pay£44,007a year

Searching, questioning, detaining and giving evidence all carry straight over, inside a uniformed civil service role.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Public service operational delivery officer, level 3, typically 12 months
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: be over 18 years of age; be a UK citizen; have lived in the UK for the last 5 years; pass enhanced background checks; pass security checks; pass a medical check; have a good level of fitness; have a full driving licence.
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live Border Force officer jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3319 "Protective service associate professionals n.e.c.", not only Border Force officer roles. ONS publishes pay for protective service associate professionals not elsewhere classified, a group that also includes fraud investigators, security managers and private investigators.

FromPolice officerToCompliance officer

Median pay£50,083a year

Applying rules precisely, recording decisions and spotting when something is off are everyday police habits, and regulated firms need them.

Way in

Live compliance officer jobsHow exposed is it to AI?

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2482 "Quality assurance and regulatory professionals", not only compliance officer roles.

FromPolice officerToRisk manager

Median pay£59,834a year

Threat and risk assessment, from a missing person to a public order plan, is structured risk management with the vocabulary changed.

Way in

Live risk manager jobs

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2440 "Business and financial project management professionals", not only risk manager roles.

FromPolice officerToHealth and safety adviser

Median pay£46,444a year

Scene safety, dynamic risk assessment and incident reporting translate into workplace health and safety, where NEBOSH and IOSH are the named qualifications.

Way in

Live health and safety adviser jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3582 "Health and safety managers and officers", not only health and safety adviser roles.

Justice and safeguarding

Staying in the justice system, with a different relationship to the people you work with. Pay is lower at the median than the top of the constable scale.

FromPolice officerToProbation services officer

Median pay£30,087a year

Assessing risk, working with people on licence and writing reports for court and partner agencies.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Probation service practitioner, level 3, typically 18 months
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass enhanced background checks.
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live probation services officer jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3229 "Welfare and housing associate professionals n.e.c.", not only probation services officer roles.

FromPolice officerToProbation officer

The qualified version of probation work: supervising higher-risk cases and advising courts, built on the same risk and offender management skills.

Way in
  • Qualifications named by the National Careers Service: PQiP
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults.
  • The National Careers Service says you complete the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP), which takes 15 to 21 months depending on your degree.
  • Degree usually needed: No
  • Pay: ONS suppressed the 2025 full-time median for probation officers as unreliable (coefficient of variation above 20%).

Live probation officer jobsNational Careers Service profile

FromPolice officerToSafeguarding officer

Median pay£31,001a year

Child protection referrals, strategy meetings and multi-agency work are core police safeguarding tasks.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Safeguarding support officer, level 3, typically 18 months
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass enhanced background checks as you may work with children and vulnerable adults.
  • The National Careers Service says the level 3 Safeguarding support officer apprenticeship takes up to 2 years, with further training for child protection work.
  • Degree usually needed: No

Live safeguarding officer jobsNational Careers Service profile

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 3222 "Child and early years officers", not only safeguarding officer roles.

Teaching and driving

Two routes with their own qualifications to pass, whatever your police training.

FromPolice officerToSecondary school teacher

Median pay£47,632a year

Managing a room, explaining rules and consequences, and defusing conflict all carry over to the classroom.

Way in
  • Apprenticeship: Teacher - Postgraduate, level 6, typically 9 months
  • Required qualification: Qualified teacher status (QTS) (Department for Education, England)
  • Qualifications named by the National Careers Service: PGCE
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass enhanced background checks.
  • You need a degree and QTS to teach in a state school in England. Get Into Teaching lists salaried routes as well as fee-paying ones.
  • Degree usually needed: Yes

Live secondary school teacher jobsNational Careers Service profileHow exposed is it to AI?

Source: ONS ASHE 2025, Table 14.7a, published . Full-time median, UK. Covers the whole ONS unit group 2313 "Secondary education teaching professionals", not only secondary school teacher roles.

FromPolice officerToDriving instructor

Police driver training is a strong base, but you still take the three approved driving instructor tests like anyone else.

Way in
  • Registration: Approved driving instructor (ADI) registration (Driver and Vehicle Standards Agency)
  • Checks the National Careers Service lists: pass motoring conviction checks; pass enhanced background checks; be able to read a licence plate at 90 feet or 27.5m, with glasses or contact lenses if worn; have a full UK or EU driving licence, held for at least 3 years; be over 21 years of age.
  • The National Careers Service says you pass ADI parts 1 and 2 to get a 6-month trainee licence, then part 3 to qualify, and renew your registration every 4 years.
  • Degree usually needed: No
  • Pay: ONS suppressed the 2025 full-time median for driving instructors as unreliable (coefficient of variation above 20%). ASHE covers employee jobs only, so self-employed instructors are not included.

Live driving instructor jobsNational Careers Service profile

What your police experience counts for

Investigation is the most portable skill. Interviewing, evidence handling, disclosure and building a file that stands up in court are exactly what counter-fraud, trading standards and compliance teams recruit for. Put the volume and type of cases on your CV, not only your rank.

Expect new checks. The National Careers Service lists checks for many of these jobs, from enhanced background checks to nationality and residence rules for Border Force and intelligence work. They are shown on each card above.

Some jobs need a licence whatever your background. Licensable security work needs an SIA licence (£204, 3 years). Close protection also needs the Level 3 close protection certificate and a first aid qualification. Driving instruction needs the three ADI tests.

Leaving early is common. Of officers who resigned voluntarily in the year to March 2026, 60.6% had less than 5 years' service (Home Office). If that is you, apprenticeships are open at any age and pay you while you train.

Source: Security Industry Authority, Apply for an SIA licence (GOV.UK), published updated 19 June 2026.

Source: Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2026, published .

Free and funded ways to retrain

Most of the investigation, security and justice routes above have an apprenticeship, which is paid and free to you. These are the schemes for England; Scotland, Wales and Northern Ireland run their own.

Skills Bootcamps (free, up to 16 weeks)

Skills Bootcamps are free, flexible courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged 19 or over in England. They are free if you take the course yourself rather than through your employer, and you are guaranteed a job interview with an employer at the end. If you claim Universal Credit, you can keep claiming while you study.

Subjects include digital skills such as cyber security and data, business skills such as project management, and HGV driving.

Find a Skills Bootcamp on the official National Careers Service course finder.

Source: Department for Education, Skills for Careers: Skills Bootcamps; DWP JobHelp: Skills Bootcamps, published checked 28 September 2026.

Apprenticeships at any adult age

GOV.UK's only age rule is that you are 16 or over. You must live in England and not be in full-time education, and you can already hold a degree. You are an employee earning a wage, at least 20% of your normal working hours go on training, and relevant experience can shorten it. Your employer and training provider must not ask you to pay towards the training or assessment.

Check the pay before you apply. An employer can pay the apprentice rate of £8 an hour in your first year, even if you are 19 or over. After the first year you are entitled to the minimum wage for your age: £12.71 an hour at 21 and over from April 2026.

Source: GOV.UK, Become an apprentice; Apprenticeship funding rules August 2026 to July 2027 (paragraph 220); National Minimum Wage rates, published checked 28 September 2026.

Free Courses for Jobs (level 3 and some level 2)

If you are 19 or over and earn below £25,750, or are unemployed, you can get a level 3 qualification free in England, or a level 2 in construction, engineering or manufacturing. Subjects include accounting, business management, digital, health and social care, and teaching and lecturing. Local rules can differ, so ask the provider.

Source: GOV.UK, Free courses for jobs (DWP), published .

Advanced Learner Loans (level 3 to 6)

For a level 3, 4, 5 or 6 course at an approved college or provider in England, if you are 19 or over on the first day. There is no credit check and it does not depend on your income. You repay once you earn over the threshold, and interest runs from the first payment. For level 3, ask about an Adult Skills Fund grant first, which you do not repay. Level 4 to 6 courses starting on or after 1 January 2027 move to the Lifelong Learning Entitlement.

Source: GOV.UK, Advanced Learner Loan, published checked 28 September 2026.

Common questions

Short answers, each with its source. Pay figures are ONS ASHE 2025 full-time medians unless stated.

What jobs can ex-police officers do in the UK?

The closest matches are investigation and intelligence work (fraud investigation, intelligence analysis, trading standards), security and risk (security management, Border Force, compliance, risk management, health and safety), and justice and safeguarding (probation, safeguarding, legal executive work). This page lists 15 with ONS pay for each, plus teaching and driving instruction.

What is the best-paid job for an ex-police officer?

Of the 15 routes here, risk manager has the highest ONS full-time median at £59,834 (ONS ASHE 2025). Two of the 15 have a median above the top of the constable scale (£50,256 from September 2025). A median covers everyone in the job, so it is not a starting salary.

How much does a police constable earn?

From 1 September 2025 the constable pay scale ran from £31,164 to £50,256, and sergeants from £53,568 to £56,208 (Home Office evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body, March 2026). The government announced a 3.5% award for all ranks from September 2026.

Why is there no ONS pay figure for police officers?

ONS suppressed its 2025 annual earnings estimates for police officers, sergeant and below (SOC 3312), after an error in the returns it received, in a correction dated 19 December 2025. ONS says the figures will be reviewed for the revised 2025 dataset. We compare with the constable pay scale instead, which is basic pay rather than total earnings.

How many police officers leave each year?

9,240 full-time-equivalent officers left the 43 territorial forces in England and Wales in the year to 31 March 2026, excluding transfers, a leaver rate of 6.3%. The voluntary resignation rate was 3.2%, and 60.6% of those resigning had less than 5 years' service (Home Office, 22 July 2026).

Can ex-police officers work in fraud investigation?

Yes, and it is one of the closest matches. Skills England has a level 4 Counter fraud investigator apprenticeship, typically 24 months. ONS pay for the wider protective service group that includes fraud investigators was £44,007 (ONS ASHE 2025).

Do I need an SIA licence to work in security after the police?

For licensable security work, yes. An SIA licence costs £204 from 1 April 2026 and lasts 3 years. For close protection, the National Careers Service says you first complete the Level 3 Certificate for Working as a Close Protection Operative with an SIA-approved provider, plus a close protection first aid qualification.

Can a police officer become a teacher?

Yes, if you have a degree. You need QTS to teach in a state school in England, and there are salaried as well as fee-paying teacher training routes. Skills England's Teacher (postgraduate) apprenticeship is level 6. The ONS full-time median for secondary teachers was £47,632 (ONS ASHE 2025).

Can ex-police officers become probation officers?

Yes. The National Careers Service says you complete the Professional Qualification in Probation (PQiP), which takes 15 to 21 months. ONS did not publish a reliable 2025 full-time median for probation officers. Probation services officers, the unqualified grade, had a median of £30,087 for their wider ONS group.

What driving jobs can ex-police officers do?

Driving instruction and HGV driving are the main ones. To teach, you pass the three approved driving instructor tests and renew your registration every 4 years; the National Careers Service says you must be over 21 and have held a full licence for 3 years. HGV driving needs the right lorry licence and the Driver CPC.

Do I need a degree to leave the police?

For most routes on this page, no. Fraud investigation, intelligence analysis, compliance, security, Border Force and safeguarding all have documented routes without a degree, several of them apprenticeships. Teaching needs a degree and QTS.

Can I retrain for free?

In England, often yes. Skills Bootcamps are free courses of up to 16 weeks for adults aged 19 and over, with a guaranteed job interview. Apprenticeships have no upper age limit and your employer and provider cannot charge you for the training. If you earn under £25,750 or are unemployed, Free Courses for Jobs can pay for a level 3 qualification.

Is policing more stressful than other jobs?

HSE puts public administration and defence at 3,470 cases of work-related stress, depression or anxiety per 100,000 workers over 2022/23 to 2024/25, the highest of the three broad industries with significantly higher rates, against a 2,040 average. Protective service occupations also had a statistically higher rate than average (HSE, November 2025).

Can I join Border Force after the police?

Yes. The National Careers Service lists UK citizenship, 5 years' residence, security and medical checks, a fitness standard and a full driving licence. There is a level 3 Public service operational delivery officer apprenticeship, typically 12 months.

How long does it take to move out of the police?

Some routes are direct applications, such as security management or compliance. Most of the apprenticeships on this page take 12 to 24 months while you are paid. PQiP takes 15 to 21 months, and a Skills Bootcamp up to 16 weeks.

How we worked this out

Pay is the median gross annual pay for full-time employees in the UK from the ONS Annual Survey of Hours and Earnings 2025 (provisional, Table 14.7a, published 23 October 2025). It covers the tax year ending 5 April 2025, for employees who had been in the same job for more than a year. A median is the midpoint for everyone in the job, from new starters to people with decades behind them, so it is not a starting salary.

ONS suppressed its 2025 annual pay figures for police officers, sergeant and below (SOC 3312), and for the groups that contain it, after an error in the returns it received (correction of 19 December 2025). So instead of an ONS pay change, the table compares each job with the top of the constable pay scale, £50,256 from 1 September 2025. The pay scale is basic pay and the ONS figure is annual earnings, so the comparison is approximate. The ASHE 2025 bulletin explains the survey.

  • Each job is matched to an ONS SOC 2020 unit group using the ONS coding index. Where several jobs share a group, the figure covers all of them, and the card says so.
  • ONS does not publish a figure when the estimate is too uncertain (a coefficient of variation over 20%) or could identify people. We say "not published" rather than fill the gap.
  • ASHE counts employees only. It says nothing about self-employed earnings, such as private tutoring or consultancy.
  • "Degree usually needed" is our judgement from the entry routes that ONS and the National Careers Service describe. "No" means a documented route exists below degree level, not that nobody in the job has a degree.
  • Apprenticeships are Skills England standards approved for delivery on 29 September 2026. They apply in England. Durations are Skills England's typical figures, and relevant experience can shorten them.
  • ONS publishes ASHE 2026 on 22 October 2026. We will update these figures when it does.

Sources

  1. ONS, Earnings and hours worked, occupation by four-digit SOC: ASHE Table 14 (2025 provisional, corrected 19 December 2025), published 23 October 2025.
  2. Home Office, Police workforce, England and Wales: 31 March 2026, published 22 July 2026.
  3. Home Office evidence to the Police Remuneration Review Body, 2026 to 2027 (Annex A), published 27 March 2026.
  4. National Police Chiefs' Council, Government confirms police pay award, published 15 July 2026.
  5. Security Industry Authority, Apply for an SIA licence (GOV.UK), updated 19 June 2026.
  6. HSE, Work-related stress, depression or anxiety statistics in Great Britain, 2025, published 20 November 2025.
  7. National Careers Service job profiles (routes, checks and requirements for each job), retrieved 28 September 2026.
  8. Skills England, apprenticeship standards, retrieved 28 September 2026.

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