Basic police training at senior secondary vocational education level 4 takes two years. This course trains you to become a Police Officer. You will take the course at a Netherlands Police Academy location and in the field. The location depends on the police region.
During the course, you will learn about laws and rules, self-defence, and fitness training. You will practise arrest techniques. Instructors will also teach you how to handle a weapon. You will also take driver training, have interviews to solve problems, and practise bad-news interviews.
For your basic police training, you will be taught at the Netherlands Police Academy. You do your practical training in the police unit. This is combined education. As a student, you will be assigned to a police unit. You will be placed with a regional unit or the National Unit.
You will receive your practical training at a learning and development site. This is on-the-job training with a basic team. Together with your training team – a group of eight students – you will receive practical training in a sheltered setting. You take classes and go out into the field together.
You will receive guidance from three people. Together they form the guidance team. You will be taught by various instructors. An instructor will be your first point of contact. The guidance team also includes a practical supervisor. They are, in most cases, a Police Officer you’ll be going out on the streets with. If you have questions about the programme, the person to contact is the programme supervisor. They maintain contact with the instructor and practical supervisor. During training, they all have a guiding and coaching role, each with their own task.
The higher vocational education (HBO) police training programme trains you to become a Police Officer. You can also take abridged undergraduate courses: the Police Officer, Detective, Community Police Officer, and Police Manager bachelor’s programmes. You take the courses at the Netherlands Police Academy in Apeldoorn. Practical lessons are given in the police region where you have registered.
You can also opt to pursue an HBO master's degree in criminal investigation. This is a three-year course that provides training in the field of criminal investigation.
Other police career opportunities also exist for HBO and university graduates.
To join the Netherlands Police, you first undergo training to become a police constable (agent) or a graduate police officer (politiekundige). Next, you can specialise in a specific field. We have a few hundred courses to choose from.
You can also obtain the All-round Police Officer certificate during the basic police training at level 4. You can do this at your own pace. If you make good progress with your work, you will be promoted to the rank of senior constable (hoofdagent) after two years.
An HBO police education also qualifies you to work in other policing areas, such as the control room, criminal investigation, or intelligence. You can also do police work in other positions, such as:
We can jointly consider the alternatives for your police career. To do so, contact kombijdepolitie.nl.
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