Vocal Voices

"The changes announced today will help modernise the service and improve our ability to attract and retain really good people."

There are no doubts that some areas of policing do need higher qualifications over and above passing the entrance exam. Investigating fraud and IT technologies spring to mind, there will be others, but for bog-standard policing?

A degree in Policing Studies is too narrow to be a traditional degree, in a similar way to one in Nursing. A diploma is a more fitting qualification.

This all smacks of more 'dumbing down' of degrees so that those 50% of all pupils who now go on to university get a qualification in order for them to get a job that years ago would have been available for a few good 'O' or 'A' levels.

I would much prefer that the police patrolling my area were physically fit, had some common-sense, be approachable and have a sense of humour.

Mrs O has an ex-teaching colleague who has a son desperate to join the police force. He has a degree in Psychology (or some other -ology) and up to now, they have refused to take him purely because they aren't recruiting. So he's been bumming around in relatively low-skilled jobs.

If they decide to give him a chance now, he will still have to take this so-called Policing degree, or a suitable conversion course.

It's ridiculous!

Forcing people to indebt themselves just to get a job which should not need a degree smacks of illegal support for Universities....

Well to me anyway.

Ossie, it is a shame for the lad you know, with regards recruitment, as I can see that once he got in a degree in Psychology would be a useful asset - for him and the police. The thing is that should he be able to get in today the entry requirements are as much about character and physical and mental ability as anything else.

Basic guidelines for applicants

As you might imagine, applicant guidelines are fairly comprehensive, but here are a few highlights:

* there are no minimum or maximum height requirements
* there is no formal educational requirement, but you will have to pass written tests
* you must be either a British Citizen, a citizen of the EU or other states in the EEA, or a Commonwealth citizen or foreign national with indefinite leave to remain in the UK
* although you may still be eligible to join the police service if you have minor convictions/cautions, there are certain offences and conditions that will make you ineligible. If you are at all unsure, contact your chosen force for more information
* you must physically and mentally be able to undertake police duties

How much a 'degree' in Policing can improve on the above is debatable.

My fear is that that it could, in fact, make these new constables more aloof than some already are. These is an attitude out there, found in many new degree holders, that they are better than the rest. I suppose that in some ways it has always been the case, but today it is so much more upfront, in your face, patronising and boastful.

When I was in the Army we found that the higher the skill set required for the job (avionics etc), the worse the solider. Whilst a constable has to have an enquiring mind and be able to problem solve, there is an element of discipline and rule following too.

The higher the education, the more likely a person is to question. Not just in investigation, but literally everything. Also there is the superiority thing.

I do recall being in McDonalds in Brussels back in the late 90's. A group of Uni Students were just finishing and one of them said "Just another month and we'll be better than 80% of the rest of the UK". I must admit it did raise a smile.

Whilst the government does it's best to replace that "better than 80%" with "better than nobody", I guess there will still be attitudes. Not sure that's compatible with locking out entrants from the Police.

On another note, I recall when the Met were desperately short of officers but were closed to entrants. The reason? They had allocated 20% of entrants to ethnic minorities. But they could not get 20% of the applications from ethnic minorities. So they were always short staffed and always closed to new entrants...

Stupid is...

I have two cousins and an ex schoolmate who were all in the police - a sergeant, a DC and a DS. Among the things they all had in common were cynicism, re the stories perps told, and being a bit streetwise.

They got those from experience, not from some plastic degree in Police Studies.

#1 son can "read" people and can't switch it off. Which causes family friction when he "reads" #2 daughters new husband as controlling and untrustworthy....

He has a degree but it was not chosen to go into policing. In fact I had to beat <verbally>, some of his degree related responses out of him in order to get him through the application process.... <sigh>.

Here's the funny part. He's bright, extremely computer literate, does his paperwork well and on time and has an arrest to conviction rate which is the highest in his region.

So he's constantly in conflict with his management. Demanding that all police officers have a "degree" in policing will only increase that friction.

Who makes this stuff up anyway?

I think the same thing will happen in policing as has already happened in nursing - students studying for ages in the classroom before meeting actual live members of the public, and having a slightly superior attitude to the more nitty-gritty aspects of the job. My dear mother-in-law who started in nursing aged 15, on the job at the sharp end straight away, could give you chapter and verse on this. She was never too good to change beds or wipe bottoms, despite her many years rising through the ranks. She says that stamina, compassion, a desire to serve the public and common sense are what is required in nursing, not academic ability. I think policing calls for similar.

My brother-in-law did join the police force with a degree (in sports science mind you) under his belt, but he rose to DCI from PC gradually and under his own steam, not as a graduate fast-track entrant.

Kaz, many of us think the same.

My old school mate left secondary with nothing more than a few CSE's. I know this because he was in the same class and lived only a few streets away. He went straight into the police cadets as it was the only job he ever wanted to do. When he joined the force proper he rose to DS by taking internal exams.

Brian with a degree, now there's a laugh. Good cop though.