A Comparison of the Effectiveness of Pre- and Post-Employment Modes of Higher Education for Student Police Officers
| Author | Kevin Simpson,Brian Blakemore |
| Published date | 01 March 2010 |
| Date | 01 March 2010 |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1350/pojo.2010.83.1.481 |
| Subject Matter | Article |
BRIAN BLAKEMORE
Head of Division: Centre for Police Sciences, Department of
Science and Sport, HESAS, University of Glamorgan, Wales
KEVIN SIMPSON
Senior Lecturer, Centre for Police Sciences, Department of
Science and Sport, HESAS, University of Glamorgan, Wales
A COMPARISON OF THE
EFFECTIVENESS OF PRE- AND
POST-EMPLOYMENT MODES OF
HIGHER EDUCATION FOR
STUDENT POLICE OFFICERS
Several police services have aligned themselves in a variety of
modes with higher education (HE) since 2005 as part of the
localisation of the Initial Police Learning and Development
Programme (IPLDP). The two main modes for delivering HE
are analysed and compared. The concept of the reflective
practitioner, how this might be achieved and the effectiveness
of reflective practice will be used to compare the effectiveness
of the two modes of delivery. One important aspiration of the
modern police service is to reflect fully the constituency and
communities that each service represents. The application of
HE delivery modes to police recruitment may seem to threaten
meeting these equal opportunity aspirations; the validity of
such assumptions will be considered.
Keywords: higher education; police: student officers;
reflective practice
Introduction
The need for a better-trained ‘professional’ police service was
promulgated in the early years of this millennium (HMIC, 2002;
Neyroud cited in Newburn, 2003). Prior to this, the need for
educated constables was lacking recognition. In many respects,
the police as a profession have suffered from a traditional view
of its being literally ‘hands-on’ and of a basically physical
nature, stemming from the simpler roles carried out by the police
in the nineteenth century. The role of the police officer has
developed beyond that initial style of duty, in order to fulfil an
ever-growing expectation of twenty-first century service delivery
within a more dynamic legislative environment and a more
The Police Journal, Volume 83 (2010) 29
DOI: 10.1358/pojo.2010.83.1.481
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