Police education and role play: Insights from the literature
| Author | Allison Turner |
| DOI | http://doi.org/10.1177/0032258X211031516 |
| Published date | 01 December 2022 |
| Date | 01 December 2022 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
The Police Journal:
Theory, Practice and Principles
2022, Vol. 95(4) 750–775
© The Author(s) 2021
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DOI: 10.1177/0032258X211031516
journals.sagepub.com/home/pjx
Police education and role play:
Insights from the literature
Allison Turner
University of South Wales, Pontypridd, UK
Abstract
This article provides a literature review into the utilisation of role play and reflection, as
valuable teaching strategies which should be considered for implementation, within the
Police Education Qualification Framework. The aim of this article is to challenge the
current pedagogical teaching methods utilised as part of the National Policing Curriculum,
by highlighting the benefit of a more experiential-based learning strategy, for Professional
Policing Degree students, based within England and Wales.
Keywords
Policing degree, Police Education Qualification Framework, role play, experiential
learning
Introduction
The aim of this article is to challenge the current pedagogical teaching methods utilised as
part of the National Policing Curriculum (NPC), by highlighting the benefit of a more
experiential based learning strategy, for Professional Policing Degree students, based
within England and Wales. The aim of this article will be achieved through a review of
literature, which seeks to provide an insight into areas, such as the benefits of role play,
reflection and peer assessment, as part of an immersive and experiential learning process
within police education.
This article will focus predominantly upon the Professional Policing Degree students
based within England and Wales, who enter university with the aim of obtaining a
qualification under the Police Education Qualification Framework (PEQF). These stu-
dents have no previous policing experience but have aspirations of embarking upon a
Corresponding author:
Allison Turner, Professional Policing and Security, University of South Wales, Upper Glyntaff Campus,
Cemetery Road, Pontypridd CF37 1DL, UK.
Email: Allison.turner@southwales.ac.uk
policing career. These students in particular are keen to embark on the policing role and
become increasingly keen to start their learning, away from the classroom and instead opt
for a more hands on approach, out on the streets (Lauritz et al., 2012). However, despite
the focus of this article being based around the Professional Policing Degree students, it
also seeks to highlight the contribution of experiential and immersive learning, as
valuable educational tools for police practitioners in general. This article is one of the few
to identify the potential for role play to become best practice in educational reform of the
police, through its incorporation within the PEQF.
The introduction of the new Policing Educational QualificationFrameworkbythe
College of Policing (2021) offers those wishing to embark on a policing career three
alternative routes in achieving a Professional Policing Degree. Two of the three routes
are achieved post-recruitment into the police. The third route however involves the
student embarking upon a pre-join Policing Degree taught within a university (College
of Policing, 2021). The third route of the PEQF, that is, the Professional Policing
Degree, will be the focus of this article. The attention to the Professional Policing
Degree students is deliberate, as it is the only entry route where students acquire
education without any previous policing experience. Therefore, this article seeks to
identify the value of an experiential learningstrategy, where theory is combined with the
opportunity to practice. In doing so, the Professional Policing Degree student is
presented with the chance to place knowledge into context. This is a concept which the
author argues cannot solely be achieved, through a traditional classroom pedagogy. The
author will conduct a literature review to highlight the credibility and effectiveness of a
more experiential learning strategy, as part of the PEQF, in contrast to traditional forms
of teaching.
The introduction of the PEQF by the College of Policing is designed to create a more
professional form of education, from the ranks of constable through to the rank of chief
constable in England and Wales. This approach supports the aim of the Association of
Police and Crime Commissioners and the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) which
seeks to create a more representative workforce, which are able to meet the de mands of a
more complex society (College of Policing, 2020). These concepts are now embedded
within the Policing Vision 2025, which seeks to review policing and the use of resources,
over the next 10 years, with regard to the provision of community safety, in times of
complex threat (NPCC, 2021)
The requirement to transform police education through the PEQF has led the College
of Policing (2021) to establish four main aims. These aims currently apply to each of the
three entry routes into the police. The first aim of the PEQF is to recognise the high level at
which the police currently operate. The second aim seeks to address the ad hoc and
inconsistent approach to police education, which had previously been operating. This
would be achieved by the PEQF, providing a more standardised approach to police
education. The third aim of the PEQF is to assist officers to reach their potential, through
an acknowledgement of previous experience and qualifications, as a basis to promote
further learning. The author will argue that this aim in particular should be considered and
contemplated, with regard to the significance and relevance of experiential learning,
forming the basis for any future design of the NPC. The final aim of the PEQF is to address
Turner 751
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