Program Overview

This course is a national pre-join degree course licensed by the Policing Professional Body, the College of Policing and will be delivered by subject matter experts and experienced practitioners (including retired police officers) with a wealth of subject expertise to prepare you with key transferable skills required for the role of Police Constable.

This course has been developed through consultation with a range of police service areas and the College of Policing, to give you the opportunity to examine the fundamental concepts of policing whilst also developing the practical and transferable skills you need for a career in law enforcement.

What's covered in this course?

The course will help to develop your critical thinking about policing, policy and practice through complementary modules encompassing the theory and principles of operational policing, legislation and police powers, structured interviewing skills and much more. To develop these skills, you will be involved in practical activities, events and will be exposed to a range of guest speakers. These speakers will be from a range of criminal justice and public sector agencies as well as police officers of all operational levels.

The course will utilise a range of exciting and innovative forms of assessment that match the working practices within policing. You will also be supported in applications for job roles within policing and will have opportunities to take part in mock assessment centres, fitness and team-building exercises. You will take part in mock criminal investigations and be required to create relevant paperwork and understand current legislation and police powers in practice.

You will also benefit from a working arrangement between the university and West Midlands Police (WMP). The organisation has agreed to support with the training of 25 special constables both within the service settings and on campus. WMP will provide support and guidance through both the assessment and training stages so as to ensure you feel capable and equipped to face a variety of incidents and issues. You will be encouraged to participate in a range of work within a variety of regional forces to improve subject knowledge and understanding.

This course will combine all of these elements together while offering you the opportunity to take part in a work placement which could be within a variety of areas in the field community safety and criminal justice. You will be encouraged to take part in to visit courts, police training establishments and prisons.

The course will develop a professional focus and real-world experience, ensuring that when you gradate you are equipped to make an impact in your chosen career. The course teaching team will also provide additional support sessions to refresh students on academic and research skills so as to ensure students are fully prepared to carry out independent research projects throughout the course.

The course will also discuss the international dimension to law enforcement and how criminal activities are not just domestic in their construction. Module content will explore this in greater detail and through the use of guest lecturers from around the world, the professional relationships between various policing agencies around the world will be discussed.