PROFESSIONAL POLICING at Canterbury Christ Church University

Policing is becoming ever more specialist and undergoing many changes. CCCU has over 20 years of experience of delivering police education designed to meet the needs of the profession. We have always sought to embed professional requirements within our provision and our current programme is being amended to ensure that it meets emerging professional requirements as set out in the Policing Education and Qualifications Framework (PEQF) and to satisfy the awarding of a College of Policing Licence.

The programme will give you a strong grounding in the theory and practice of policing, You will gain a broad understanding of crime and the criminal justice system, as well as the diversity of the police role and will gain practical experience through volunteering within the criminal justice system, giving you the a great start to your career.  You will explore areas including:

• Key policing legislation and procedures
• Criminal justice system
• Crime prevention
• Criminal investigations
• Policing communities
• Evidence-based policing and research methods

Why Professional Policing?

The aims of the BSc (Hons) Professional Policing are to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of:

• the police, their partners and other organisations involved in policing and criminal justice;
• contemporary policing issues and how these are addressed through evidence-based policing and practice;
• basic police practices, policies and procedures in England and Wales;
• the underlying and essential legislative and procedural responsibilities of a police officer;
• of the principles underpinning maintenance of order nationally and in the community and the responsibilities of a police officer towards them;

It will also provide an opportunity to achieve the pre-entry requirement for the role of a warranted Police Constable as well as pursue other careers related to policing and criminal justice, as well as relevant postgraduate programmes.

On each year of the programme, you will study core policing topics such as key legislation and procedure, criminal investigation, community policing and evidence-based policing. Your studies in year one will provide a broad and general introduction to the police and policing. In your second and third years you will typically have an opportunity to take more specialist modules in areas such as terrorism and political violence, criminal psychology, major crime investigations and cybercrime. The programme also includes work-based learning opportunities to provide you with important practical learning. You are encouraged to become a volunteer within the criminal justice system, such as in a local police organisations as special constables, in victim support or rehabilitation of offenders within the community.

What will i study?

The programme will emphasise the diversity of the police role by drawing upon a variety of contexts in which policing is applied. This will include debates concerning moves to foster a commitment to interagency work, the legal and ethical parameters and duties involved, criminological theories, the application of scientific methods and the development of policing skills.

The attributes and qualities associated with policing are highly valued and sought after in many areas of professional life. Many other possible career opportunities follow from graduating with BSc (Hons) Professional Policing. These include the civil service, local government, the courts, the Prison Service, Her Majesty’s Inspectorate of Constabulary and Fire and Rescue Services, Her Majesty’s Prison and Probation Service, charitable and voluntary organisations working in the criminal justice sector, community safety organisations, National Crime Agency, the security service, Border Force and the private sector security industry.

We also believe BSc (Hons) Professional Policing will arm you as a graduate with learning in new and emerging crime and policing trends such as cybersecurity, evidence-based policing, and crime science and so on. Such knowledge will undoubtedly become increasingly valuable in financial, commercial and technological employment environments.

Work experience

To provide practical experience, you will be encouraged to become a volunteer within the criminal justice system as part of your studies. For instance, you may decide to volunteer in a local police organisation as a special constable, in victim support or with the rehabilitation of offenders within the community.