2. Benefits and rewards

As a detective constable, you’ll get to do a job where you make a difference every day. You'll work as part of a team, doing a job where no two shifts are the same. 

We offer great starting salaries – the highest in policing – and a range of other benefits, as outlined below.

Pay
Annual leave
Pension
Free and discounted travel
Health and wellbeing
Discounts and benefits
Career development and policing specialisms
Support

Pay

Your pay includes:

• starting salary of £38,269. Salary including allowances.
• salary increases to £40,789 after two years for DCEP upon satisfactory completion of probation. Salary including allowances.
• salary will increase each year up to over £56,593 within seven years
• on promotion to the next police rank – sergeant – you can earn over £59,500. Most officers apply for sergeant after five years as a constable.

Annual leave

Your annual leave includes:

• 22 days paid holiday each year, rising to 30 days the longer you work here
• public holidays and rest days, on top of leave, are built into your shift pattern
• maternity, paternity and adoption leave
• special leave, both paid and unpaid
• carers leave, both paid and unpaid
• armed forces reservists leave
• unpaid career breaks for up to five years

Pension

Your pension will include:

• being a member of the Police Pension Scheme, offering a guaranteed monthly pension based on your salary and optional lump sum
• having contributions made by both you and the Met. You’ll receive tax relief on your contributions.

Free and discounted travel

Travel benefits include:

• free London travel from week 1 of your training programme, including tubes and buses
• access to heavily discounted rail travel for up to 75 miles from London
• interest free season ticket loans

Health and wellbeing

We offer a comprehensive wellbeing service including:

• free physiotherapy
• health check service
• 24-hours free confidential helpline
• counselling
• specialist support from our Occupational Health team
• free eyesight tests and a range of frames

To stay fit we offer:

• on-site gym facilities in our buildings across London
• four sport clubs houses, which offer free or very low cost access to sporting facilities for our officers and their families

Discounts and benefits

Discounts and benefits include:

• access to our dedicated discount site, offering money off a host of high street shops, grocery shops, days out, and gyms
• eligibility for Blue Light Card

Career development and policing specialisms

Learning and development is really important to us. We offer:

• ongoing training through courses, mentoring and coaching
• promotion and development opportunities into different police specialisms
• a focus on your continued professional development through a performance review process

As the UK’s largest police force, the Met offers a range of career development and roles like no other. This includes:

• neighbourhood policing
• safeguarding vulnerable people
• policing major events and demonstrations
• carrying a firearm
• specialist and major investigations, such as homicide and major crime
• dog handlers and mounted officers
• patrolling the River Thames on and below the water
• Counter Terrorism

Support

You will be able to:

• become a member of the Police Federation, a national body representing all police officers, through which you can access a range of support
• join one of a range of staff support associations in the Met, to support and represent your needs, beliefs and values

More on becoming a detective constable