From inwardly gazing to outwardly reflecting:  The changing nature of student Police Officer education

Judith Oliver, University of Huddersfield

Student police officers used to be trained exclusively within the police organisation.  Their education took place at the police training school, they were trained by other police officers and their practical experience came ‘on the job’.  The police force was a ‘family’ looking inwards for its structure, identity and education.

That has all changed. 

An accepted benchmark for any modern professional group is the capacity for reflection.  To be reflective practitioners the student officers need the opportunity to learn about themselves as individuals and as professionals; to explore their existing skills and consider the development of new ones; to explore theories and concepts which both underpin and shape the community and the profession and have the opportunity to debate the issues which will face them as serving officers.  In this way they will come to have an understanding both of the community they will serve and the organisation of which they are a part.  This reflective practice can only be enhanced by exposure to other people’s thoughts and ideas and hence the need for an education system that reaches outside the comfort of the police family.

The University of Huddersfield, in partnership with the West Yorkshire Police Force, has developed a unique Foundation Degree in Police Studies.  The student officers experience a tripartite learning environment which combines learning at University with learning at the PoliceTraining School and from experienced officers in Division. 

The challenges in providing this new form of education for the students cannot be underestimated.  The students vary in age, gender, life experiences and educational background.  It is not unusual to have students who left school at 16 years with minimal qualifications in the same group as those with an Honours degree, Masters degree or a PhD.  There can be resentment at being ‘forced’ to undertake the Foundation Degree and a reluctance to engage with the process. 

The presentation will explore how the module, Learning Process and Professional Development, seeks to develop the skills of being a reflective practitioner. It provides the opportunity for students to explore their own learning styles, consider their own values and beliefs and how these may impact on learning and practice; examine their existing talents and skills and develop learning plans for new skills.  Linking with the learning outcomes of the other modules and the National Occupational Standards, the module provides the building blocks for the development of future professionals

Key words : Professional, Reflection, Police officer, Partnership, Challenges

Presentation