British Army - Custody & Detention Officer (MPS) - Full Time Career with Apprenticeship

British Army

Recruiting nationally

Closes on Saturday 30 August 2025

Posted on 8 May 2025

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Summary

The Military Provost Staff (MPS) Regiment are Defence's experts in detention, providing a global custody and detention capability both at home and abroad. Our mission is to maintain safe, secure, and humane custodial environments.

Wage

£25,200 a year

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Training course
Custody and detention professional (level 3)
Hours
Shift and working patterns may vary. Working locations will vary nationally depending on the apprenticeship and working requirements. Days and times to be confirmed.

40 hours a week

Start date

Monday 1 September 2025

Duration

1 year 6 months

Positions available

40

Work

Most of your apprenticeship is spent working. You’ll learn on the job by getting hands-on experience.

What you'll do at work

When you join the Royal Military Police (RMP), you'll also be a soldier, which means you get to travel worldwide, get great qualifications and have a varied and interesting job.

Policing is a very important job in the Armed Forces. The Royal Military Police (RMP) uphold law within the Army, in the UK and abroad. As a member of the Army's policing team, you'll get to travel the world and support operations. It all starts with first-class training – first as a soldier and then in policing. When you finish, you'll be promoted to Lance Corporal. You'll know how to gather evidence and look after detainees. What's more, you can take specialist courses and qualifications. These are recognised by the civilian police. That means a great CV and an exciting future.

To work in custody and detention is to ensure that individuals are held in a secure, safe decent and fair environment and work as part of a team to ensure that safety of everyone in custody and detention centres is a priority.

The people in your care will have a variety of different needs. It is your role to work to ensure those individuals are treated with dignity and respect whilst maintaining a safe, secure and structured environment.
These environments rely and operate on routine, which you’ll need to be part of, however they can often be volatile challenging places to work and officers must be able and agile enough to respond quickly to a variety of incidents whilst maintaining professional standards throughout.

Officers are frontline staff who have a duty to enforce and uphold legal decisions and follow process and procedure with integrity, honesty and professionalism.

Where you'll work

Depending on your chosen regiment/corps and age at the time of enlistment, you will undertake Phase 1 training at AFC Harrogate (16-17 year olds), ATR Pirbright, ATR Winchester or ITC Catterick (for adult recruits). ITC Catterick is also where Infantry soldiers complete both Phase 1 and 2. On completion of training, you will be assigned where the Army requires you to be, but wherever that is you will receive 'on the job' training towards the completion of your chosen Apprenticeship.

Training

Apprenticeships include time away from working for specialist training. You’ll study to gain professional knowledge and skills.

College or training organisation

BRITISH ARMY

Your training course

Custody and detention professional (level 3)

Understanding apprenticeship levels (opens in new tab)

What you'll learn

Course contents
  • Undertake health and safety responsibilities in line with current legislation
  • Carry out risk assessment in line with organisational procedures (visual checks of areas & equipment and individuals)
  • Maintain and update documentation, reports, records and supporting systems in-line with local, national and organisational requirements
  • Apply use of force in line with organisational procedures
  • Utilise de-escalation techniques when dealing with inappropriate behaviours of individuals
  • Implement search techniques relevant to the situations (for example individuals, vehicles and illicit substances
  • Management and use of keys
  • Follow organisational security procedures
  • Carry out escorting or movement of individuals in custody or detention environments
  • Use verbal communication and interpersonal skills in your relationships with team members and others
  • Undertake incident management and take steps to defuse potential conflict situations in line with approved protocols
  • Work collaboratively with external stakeholders (escorting staff, drug/alcohol agencies, volunteers, healthcare, solicitors, members of the public)
  • Demonstrate processes, procedures and decisions to individuals in custody or detention so they understand what will happen to them and why
  • Identify individuals who may be vulnerable in custody or detention environments and signpost to the relevant support (for example drug/alcohol dependent individuals or individuals with mental health or wellbeing issues), following organisations procedures
  • Record and report involvement with vulnerable individuals in line with procedures
  • Undertake health and safety responsibilities in line with current legislation
  • Carry out risk assessment in line with organisational procedures (visual checks of areas & equipment and individuals)
  • Maintain and update documentation, reports, records and supporting systems in-line with local, national and organisational requirements
  • Apply use of force in line with organisational procedures
  • Utilise de-escalation techniques when dealing with inappropriate behaviours of individuals
  • Implement search techniques relevant to the situations (for example individuals, vehicles and illicit substances
  • Management and use of keys
  • Follow organisational security procedures
  • Carry out escorting or movement of individuals in custody or detention environments
  • Use verbal communication and interpersonal skills in your relationships with team members and others
  • Undertake incident management and take steps to defuse potential conflict situations in line with approved protocols
  • Work collaboratively with external stakeholders (escorting staff, drug/alcohol agencies, volunteers, healthcare, solicitors, members of the public)
  • Demonstrate processes, procedures and decisions to individuals in custody or detention so they understand what will happen to them and why
  • Identify individuals who may be vulnerable in custody or detention environments and signpost to the relevant support (for example drug/alcohol dependent individuals or individuals with mental health or wellbeing issues), following organisations procedures
  • Record and report involvement with vulnerable individuals in line with procedures

Your training plan

MPS personnel will start the L3 Custody and Detention Officer during Initial Trade Training (ITT) at the Military Corrective Training Centre (MCTC), Colchester, Essex. This may be a secondary or progression apprenticeship for some MPS soldiers (the MPS recruits Service personnel from across the 3 Services, so soldiers joining the MPS may have undertaken an apprenticeship with their original Capbadge). Learning will be linked to the Detention Specialist Course (DSC), which is ITT for MPS soldiers, and these soldiers will continue their learning in the Field Army.

Training for the role

Step 1

First, you become a highly skilled soldier on the 14-week basic training course.

Step 2

You take the Initial Police and Driver Training course at the Defence School of Policing and Guarding. This lasts 24 weeks. You learn about police duties, investigations, handling evidence, military law and other areas of policing. Then it’s time for your first posting as an RMP Lance Corporal. Later, you can take further qualifications and training such as the Close Protection course. You could even join the Special Investigations Branch. It all makes for a great CV that can take you far, inside or outside the Army.

Qualifications you could get after training

  • Level 3 diploma in Defence Knowledge of Policing
  • Home Office-approved policing qualifications

Requirements

Essential qualifications

GCSE in:

  • English or RQF Lvl 2 equivalent (grade 3/D or above)
  • Maths or ICT (grade 4/C or above)

Let the company know about other relevant qualifications and industry experience you have. They can adjust the apprenticeship to reflect what you already know.

Skills

  • Communication skills
  • Attention to detail
  • Organisation skills
  • Customer care skills
  • Problem solving skills
  • Team working
  • Initiative
  • Non judgemental
  • Patience
  • Physical fitness

Other requirements

The British Army recruits throughout the year and you should ignore the application closing dates shown against this advert.

About this company

Protecting the nation and its dependent territories will always be the British Army's first role. Highly trained soldiers are ready to deploy anywhere at any time to meet a variety of challenges, ranging from support to the Police following a terrorist attack, to specialist capabilities such as bomb disposal and intelligence experts, 24 hours a day 365 days a year, we are always ready to serve. You belong here.

https://www.army.mod.uk/ (opens in new tab)

Company benefits

The Army offers job security, career growth, adventure and world-class training. Benefits include competitive pay, travel, fitness, leadership skills, a pension, free healthcare, cheaper housing and 30 days of paid leave a year, plus public holidays.

After this apprenticeship

The apprenticeship is a gateway to a full-time career in the British Army. Promotion, along with increased salary and responsibility is dependent on successful completion of the apprenticeship and then on merit by competitive selection. As you advance through the ranks, you will have the increased opportunity to lead and direct people, managing resources and workforce within your area of work to deliver the required outputs whilst maintaining and instilling the highest values and standards expected of the British Army. You belong here.

Ask a question

The contact for this apprenticeship is:

BRITISH ARMY

The reference code for this apprenticeship is VAC1000319485.

Apply now

Closes on Saturday 30 August 2025

When you apply, you’ll be asked to sign in with a GOV.UK One Login. You can create one at the same time as applying for this apprenticeship.

After signing in, you’ll apply for this apprenticeship on the company's website.

Company’s application instructions

At this link you can find more information about the roles offered by the British Army. We have positions available for all roles throughout the year and you can ignore the application open/closing dates shown against this apprenticeship advertisement. Once you have completed an application you will be invited to complete an aptitude assessment, selection interview, health assessment and a fitness test. More details of the requirement can be found at the application link.