Abstract

The police service across the United Kingdom (UK) has gone through many
fundamental changes since its foundations were laid by the Metropolitan Police Act
(Great Britain, 1829). In the 21st century the education and training of new police
recruits and their continuous professional development has come under the spotlight
for reform. Initial education and training reforms have included a move from central
police training sites to local delivery to suit local policing needs and partnerships
being created with further and higher education.
In these times of austerity the service is also proposing a move away from recruiting
individuals and training them to expecting individuals to receive components of their
education and training prior to employment. This move to pre-employment education
and training (called pre-join by the police service) has also brought other policing
roles to the fore of the reform agenda including police staff and special constables.
As a professional educator working within higher education, having experienced both
operational and support policing roles in a range of contexts, the author is an
advocate of the benefits of both career and lifelong learning. Over a number of years
the author has strived to provide educational support to the police service either for
those who are employed by the police service or alternatively those who are aspiring
to work within the sector. A number of these initiatives, both past and present, are
listed within the evidence sections of the portfolio and provide a focus for the
development of an academic discipline of policing.
The opportunities which exist for all of the stakeholders involved in the initial
education and training of the police service are many, varied and at times
challenging, but the support and insights which can be provided by higher education
can do much to develop this important aspect in the professionalisation of the police
service.
The contribution of a route map (or framework) will be of value to the individual
learner, whether employed or not, the police service as a whole and educational
providers, as it will enable all of the stakeholders involved to understand the routes
available for new police officer recruits for their initial education and training as they
enter the profession. These routes are linked, through higher education, to the
complexities of FHEQ and QCF frameworks, along with the identification of
opportunities for the recognition of APL and the police requirements for the
completion of a ‘certificate in policing knowledge’ (often referred to as the technical
certificate) or equivalent and the ‘diploma in policing’.