A scheme linking the study of criminology with police training is being launched by the University of Portsmouth with Surrey Police.
The scheme is said to be the first in the country under which students will have the opportunity to cover part of the syllabus for initial police training while still undergraduates at university.
Students who complete two options offered as part of their degree in criminology, and who are selected as recruits by Surrey Police, will be 14 weeks ahead of their peers having completed the knowledge component of the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme.
Surrey Police is collaborating with the university’s Institute of Criminal Justice Studies (ICJS) to develop and deliver the course modules which will be offered to students in their second and third year. Students will acquire the same knowledge and skills as they would if they joined the police training scheme after graduation.
Students eligible for the scheme include those studying criminology and criminal justice studies, criminology and forensic studies, law and criminology and sociology and criminology. Over half of students offered the opportunity to take the options are choosing to do so and they will start the first option in October 2008.
The modules cover concepts of law, police powers of arrest and the social context of policing. The courses will also be relevant to students considering careers in other police forces and in other areas of law enforcement and investigation.
Surrey say
Supt Neil Boon is head of the Surrey Police Training and Development Centre, which has the status of an associate department with the university. He said that one of the aims was to give police training a more professional edge: "Surrey is keen to modernise its training and we are encouraging officers to take responsibility for their own learning. In addition the scheme will enable new recruits to gain a broader insight into policing prior to joining which will translate into improved quality and performance."
Prof Steve Savage, Director of ICJS, said that the scheme was ahead of its time and could well be adopted by other forces across the UK.
Notes
Criminology students will study the following subjects within the modules:
Year 1 (for second year students)
-Social Context of Policing
-Social and Community Issues
-Hate Crime and Substance Abuse
-Criminal Justice Processes
-Personal Research Skills
-Police Reform and Modernisation
-Police Powers
-Arrest and Detention
-Powers of Arrest and Seizure
-Searching People
-Terrorism.
Year 2 (for third year students)
-Basic Concepts of Law
-Assaults
-Theft Acts
-Racially and Religiously Aggravated Offences
-Public Order Act 1986
-Sexual Offences
-Protecting Communities I and II
-Models methods and Processes I and II
-Non Crime Incidents (DL)
-Road Traffic Policing (DL).
