Abstract
This chapter outlines the historical development of police education in the United Kingdom, more precisely in England and Wales, and highlights new strategies and planning for the professional development of the police. There is a plethora of research carried out regarding professionalism in policing to meet the needs and challenges of the twenty-first century. Considering the recent developments in police education and training, this chapter mainly discusses three newly introduced routes for recruitment and education of police constables under the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF), namely Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA), Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP), and Pre-Join Degree (PJD). Higher education institutions (HEIs), in partnership with the police forces, are providing professional qualifications for policing as a graduate level profession. Though they have made remarkable progress in developing police education programmes, they are facing various challenges in implementing the qualification framework. This chapter also explores pedagogical aspects of police education including the effectiveness and contrast between different forms of teaching and learning. While featuring the challenges and prospects of the new police education programmes, this chapter also outlines different aspects of partnership for delivering these professional qualification programmes.
Highlights
In recent years, professionalisation has become a critical discourse [1–4] for the development of police forces in the United Kingdom
As the UK historically led the development of professional policing, if the academic professional qualification programmes based on the Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) are successfully implemented, this model of ultimate police education will be followed in other parts of the world especially where countries are seeking effective police reform to overcome the crises of legitimacy and efficacy
To find a balance between theory and experience, in between classroom and practice, the professional policing practice needs to be embedded in its entirety in the Pre-Join degree, Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) programme, and Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP)
Summary
Professionalisation has become a critical discourse [1–4] for the development of police forces in the United Kingdom. Throughout the year in 2019, some other forces such as Leicestershire, Northamptonshire, South Wales, Gwent, Dyfed-Powys, West Midlands, Northumbria, Avon and Somerset, Staffordshire, Merseyside, and Sussex started running the PCDA programme [14] These programmes, shifted the nature of police education and training with a particular focus on theoretical knowledge linking with the professional practice of police work with less or no emphasis on physical education. It is not an easy task to transform the century-old traditional police training to the university education programmes over a period of 2–3 years Due to this transition in developing professional qualifications, both the forces and the higher education institutions (HEIs) are facing challenges in tackling different practical and pedagogical issues in implementing new programmes. There was a saying ‘if you want to know the time, ask a policeman’ ([18], p. 78), people still call the police to help them with non-crime incidents even to buy some groceries for vulnerable residents
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