**4. Current development**

#### **4.1 Policing Vision 2025: graduate level occupation**

In 2016, the College of Policing announced that new police officers in England and Wales would have to be educated to degree level from 2020 onwards [49] as the 'Policing Vision 2025' recognises policing as a graduate level occupation. With record numbers of British students attending universities, it would be the best opportunity for preparing the next-generation professional on police studies. A formal possession of specialised knowledge credentials is considered as a key characteristic for the enclosure of a profession [50]. That is why Livingstone and Antonelli ([51], p. 26) argue that 'The most powerful professions have historically used the requirement of a high level of academic education as a primary criterion for entry into the profession'. They also highlight that:

*'University training programs have been the most pertinent vehicles for providing codified professional knowledge and of testing potential entrants to verify they have obtained a basic grasp of the body of knowledge of the respective professional discipline' ([51], p. 26).*

As an advocate of the professional model, Stone recommends that 'a college or university degree (or comparable educational qualification) to be adopted as the basic educational requirement of a professional police officer' [52]. Providing the Government of the UK learns its lesson from cutting funding in Nursing and ensures sufficient financial support for all new Policing students, HEIs could be able to train 5000 new police officers a year, based on last year's intake into the police force [51]. It is expected that 'By 2025 British policing will have risen effectively to new challenges and will continue to be highly regarded by both the British public and internationally as a model for others' ([52], p. 5).

The recommendations of Neyroud Report (2011) [53] 'represent a fundamental overhaul of existing practices' ([53], p. 67). From these recommendations, Stanislas [54] focuses on four specific recommendations ([53], pp. 47-48) such as 'full professionalisation of the police which in his view is critical to improving its status, clarifying areas of accountability and meeting public expectations'; establishment of a single professional body responsible for important aspects of policing, which will set national standards for entry and progression within the service, in particular a new pre-entry national qualification and a new qualification for police managers;

**9**

Police [69, 70].

*Police Education in the United Kingdom: Challenges and Future Directions*

**4.2 Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF)**

**4.3 Partnership between forces and universities**

and finally that 'the police training and education be devolved outside the police training establishment and delivered in partnership with HEIs and specialist police

In 2012, the College of Policing was established as a national professional body to improve police training in England and Wales drastically. There were arguments from academics and professionals for acknowledging policing as a graduate level occupation similar to doctors, teachers, and social workers who need a relevant degree to be qualified for their job [55–61]. From this realisation, the then Home Secretary, Theresa May, was in favour of this major shift and asked the College of Policing to develop a qualification framework for police officers to get a relevant

David Cameron's coalition government (2010–2015) approved this qualification framework. Wood ([62], p. 1) argued that the development of the PEQF was 'Bolstered by the recommendations of Neyroud [53] and Winsor [63], both of which promoted closer collaboration between policing and academia' in their reports of two government reviews entitled 'Review of Police Leadership and Training' [53] and 'The Independent Review of Police Officer and Staff Remuneration and

In building the evidence base in policing, it is very important to ensure that police officers can develop their skills, build their knowledge and expertise about what really works in policing and crime reduction so that they can put it into their practice [64, 65]. Through the partnerships, the police forces will be trained by the experts from a wide range of academic disciplines including policing, criminology, criminal justice, forensics, law, psychology, and cyber security from HEIs [66]. They will be able to learn new skills, understand more about why crimes are committed, the relationship between crime and society, and use that evidence in innovative ways in their policing practice. However, the aim is to establish longterm partnerships between police forces and HEIs to deliver a recognised body of knowledge, evidence, and expertise on policing and crime reduction, and have the potential to meet the needs of the challenging environment through innovative

There are many partnerships across the UK between a police force and a university or a consortium of universities with several forces. Universities or consortiums need to bid to obtain a contract to provide education and training programmes, for example for 5 years with a force to provide their services. A force cannot award the contract to a local university without a competitive bidding process. Several successful procurement processes have already been run. So, for instance, Cumbria Constabulary and Lancashire Constabulary went for a joint tender and the contract was awarded to the University of Central Lancashire. Liverpool John Moores University obtained a partnership contract from Merseyside Police. It established the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies (2015) and provides teaching to the trainee officers of their local force. University of West of England received the PEQF contract from Avon and Somerset Constabulary while the University of Northumbria runs similar programmes for Durham Constabulary and Northumbria

Some universities individually received contracts with several forces while some

HEIs formed consortiums and are in contract with several forces. For example,

*DOI: http://dx.doi.org/10.5772/intechopen.92705*

training centres' ([53], p. 67).

degree.

Conditions' [63].

solutions [67, 68].

*Education, Human Rights and Peace in Sustainable Development*

programmes is beyond the scope of this chapter.

**4.1 Policing Vision 2025: graduate level occupation**

for entry into the profession'. They also highlight that:

and internationally as a model for others' ([52], p. 5).

*discipline' ([51], p. 26).*

Metropolitan Police.

**4. Current development**

After long consultations, the College of Policing introduced the PEQF and three routes to recruit police constables. Before the PEQF, the IPLDP was introduced in 2006 as a level 3 Diploma in Policing [48] that replaced the Foundation Training (still carried out by many police organisations around the world), which is still in use in some forces including the largest force London

For clarity, it is worth mentioning here that Scottish Police runs Police Officer Recruit Training in line with the Police Scotland National Framework for Quality Assurance in Training and Education and therefore they are not part of the PEQF. Police Service of Northern Ireland runs its own foundation training for the recruit constables at the Northern Ireland Police College, which includes a 23-week Student Officer Training Programme that follows attestation ceremony and Probationer Development Programme. Due to the length, discussion about these

In 2016, the College of Policing announced that new police officers in England and Wales would have to be educated to degree level from 2020 onwards [49] as the 'Policing Vision 2025' recognises policing as a graduate level occupation. With record numbers of British students attending universities, it would be the best opportunity for preparing the next-generation professional on police studies. A formal possession of specialised knowledge credentials is considered as a key characteristic for the enclosure of a profession [50]. That is why Livingstone and Antonelli ([51], p. 26) argue that 'The most powerful professions have historically used the requirement of a high level of academic education as a primary criterion

*'University training programs have been the most pertinent vehicles for providing codified professional knowledge and of testing potential entrants to verify they have obtained a basic grasp of the body of knowledge of the respective professional* 

As an advocate of the professional model, Stone recommends that 'a college or university degree (or comparable educational qualification) to be adopted as the basic educational requirement of a professional police officer' [52]. Providing the Government of the UK learns its lesson from cutting funding in Nursing and ensures sufficient financial support for all new Policing students, HEIs could be able to train 5000 new police officers a year, based on last year's intake into the police force [51]. It is expected that 'By 2025 British policing will have risen effectively to new challenges and will continue to be highly regarded by both the British public

The recommendations of Neyroud Report (2011) [53] 'represent a fundamental overhaul of existing practices' ([53], p. 67). From these recommendations, Stanislas [54] focuses on four specific recommendations ([53], pp. 47-48) such as 'full professionalisation of the police which in his view is critical to improving its status, clarifying areas of accountability and meeting public expectations'; establishment of a single professional body responsible for important aspects of policing, which will set national standards for entry and progression within the service, in particular a new pre-entry national qualification and a new qualification for police managers;

**8**

and finally that 'the police training and education be devolved outside the police training establishment and delivered in partnership with HEIs and specialist police training centres' ([53], p. 67).
