Agreed. My force offers PCDA and DHEP. Granted the PCDA is a lot of work but what people are actually saying, and read the blue light recruitment group because I'm quoting,

'I want to join the police but I don't want to have to do the academic work side of it'.

If the force isn't running a PCDA that's their fault for not being open to non grads. Is the new system any better than the old, probably not, but you can still join the police without a degree.

The article implies that all graduate entry officers are joining at 21 straight out of uni. That is not the case where I am. Average age is 26/27. Everyone has done a job with transferable skills and most people have travelled experiencing different countries and parts of the world. We don't have anyone who is 19 and joined the police straight out of school.