Preparing new police officers for their careers: in-house training or university education?

an article by Linda Heath (University of Brighton Business School) published in Widening Participation and Lifelong Learning Volume 13 Number 2 (August 2011)

Abstract

In 2006 several police forces in the UK (including Sussex, Kent and the City of London Police) moved the training of student officers into their local universities instead of providing in-house residential student officer courses. This was in response to a report by Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary (HMIC), which concluded that the police’s traditional training model did not accord with the needs of a police officer in the twenty-first century (HMIC, 2002). This looked like the start of a process whereby new police officers would acquire a university education. Arguably, police officers were following the trajectory of primary school teachers and nurses (and, most recently, paramedics and fire fighters) towards their jobs becoming all-graduate professions.

This article looks at the experience of one university and one police force over three years. The aim of this article is to distil lessons on that experience. Why does this issue matter? It is an important issue because bringing the training of the police force within universities would be a significant extension of higher education (HE) within society. It is also important because it could have a significant impact on the nature and ethos of policing. It would thus widen participation in higher education and, by shifting the focus of the preparation of police officers from narrow training, it could develop their capacity for continued learning throughout their career.

This paper contains an illuminative evaluation of the programme from its beginning in 2006 to its end in 2009. Its findings are based mainly on interviews with tutors and students and draws on discussions with the Pro Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs at the University of Brighton and the External Examiner of the programme. The main conclusions are that the representatives of the university, tutors and student officers from Sussex Police believe that situating student officer training in higher education has the potential for long-term benefits both in terms of individual personal and career benefits, benefits to Sussex Police and, subsequently, benefits to the communities that Sussex Police serve.

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