Last updated 11:46, Thursday, 27 March 2008

launch day: University Vice-Chancellor Chris Carr, senior lecturer Ashley Tiffen and the Chief Constable of Cumbria, Craig Mackey

UNIVERSITY of Cumbria and Cumbria Constabulary are joining forces to train the country’s police officers of the future. The two organisations are working in partnership to provide learning opportunities for existing staff and those who aspire to join the police.

The university has set up the Institute of Policing and Criminal Justice Studies at the Newton Rigg Campus in Penrith.

By 2008 the university will offer a two-year full-time foundation degree in policing for those who aspire to join the Constabulary.

Cumbria Constabulary is committed, from 2010, to recruiting up to 25 per cent of its annual intake of officers from this programme, providing the students meet the exacting and rigorous national selection procedures.

A foundation degree in Police Studies will also begin in 2008, and will focus directly on the needs of existing Cumbria police officers and support staff.

Officers will receive significant accreditation for their prior police learning and the programme will be offered by flexible and distance learning so that studies can take place alongside the students’ normal police duties.

From 2010 this course will be made available to members of the public.

In addition, 2009 will see the introduction of a three-year BSc degree in criminal justice that will cover areas such as criminology, psychology, forensic science and human rights.

Discussions are taking place with other stakeholders to ensure this meets their needs while offering a wide range of challenges for students who want a broader course of study.

Ashley Tiffen, senior lecturer in the Institute of Policing and Criminal Justice at University of Cumbria, said: “These are the first steps on a journey to widen participation in higher education by providing learning that directly meets the needs of the Criminal Justice sector.

“It is particularly exciting to be working alongside Cumbria Constabulary with their proven and award-winning track record in providing development opportunities for its staff while, at the same time, meeting the needs of the wider Criminal Justice community.

“Rolled out through three programmes – the degree in Policing, the foundation degree and Criminal Justice Studies – will mean a wider outreach and opportunities for students.

“We want to attract a range of people who are either looking for a change of career or progression for those who are already in the Constabulary.

“To think that Britain’s police officers are working all over the world and we will be playing a significant role in training a considerable amount of those in the future is a very exciting idea indeed.”

Chief Constable Craig Mackey said the launch of the new programmes will mean opportunities for people to gain qualifications and on the job experience at the same time. “It’s going to provide prospects and opportunities which weren’t there beforehand,” he said.

“It’s going to mean a far quicker process of training officers and getting them out into the community. We recruit more graduates than any other sector and through the delivery of these innovative courses it is our communities which will be seeing the benefits.”

Deputy Chief Constable Christine Twigg added: “Our partnership with the University of Cumbria provides the Constabulary with a number of advantages. During their two year course, students on the foundation degree will gain practical policing experience by working with us in the valuable role of Special Constable. At the end of the foundation degree, students will have completed the equivalent of the initial 22-week training programme run for new recruits at our Penrith training centre.

“This means that when foundation degree students are recruited we will be able to deploy them in operational roles much sooner.

“University of Cumbria will also be accrediting Cumbria Constabulary’s Initial Police Learning and Development Programme, which recently won a North West Regional Training Award from Skills UK, to give student officers completing the course credits towards a foundation degree.

“This is an exciting development for Cumbria Constabulary and I hope that the work to jointly develop the foundation degree will be the first of many opportunities for us to work in partnership with the university.”