1. Police and Higher Education: prospects and challenges
Emma Williams,
Deputy Director of the Canterbury Centre for Policing Research
School of Law, Criminal Justice & Computing
Canterbury Christ Church university
Police and Higher Education: prospects and challenges
Scottish International Policing Conference 2017
Policing and Professionalisation: opportunities and challenges
14th December 2017
John McIntyre Centre, University of Edinburgh

2. Why? Professionalisation and the role of education?

3. Our students, their voice and their reality of learning
The link to personal achievement and a sense of professionalism………
Reinvigorated a passion for policing through learning
Sense of credibility as a result of their knowledge and increased sense of professionalism
BUT ability to use skills and knowledge inconsistent
Higher ranks strategic roles v operational roles (distinction)
………Lead to a sense of being under valued – ‘top down’ culture reinforced
The long term embedding of education / research in policing was considered aspirational and short term
Both macro issues regarding austerity and organisational process were described as inhibitors to reflexivity
Culture described as resistant to utilising the knowledge held by officer students
Lack of receptiveness from SLT and middle management
Limited / inconsistent practical support for students
Norman, J & Williams, E (2017) ‘Putting Learning into Practice: Self reflections from Cops', European Police Science and Research Bulletin

4. Police Professionalism and the Use of Education: Contradictions

5. “People with education and degrees have no personality”
“I don’t think there’s a facility in my job to apply knowledge back into the structure. I think if you get into a role and you’re trained in that role and you’re expected to go off and do it and if you branch out into something different, there’s no way to feed that back into the organisation”
“I think a lot of it is that you’re viewed as a number and I know it’s callous, but you’re a number, you’re an officer, you’re a small wheel in a big machine and therefore what you can do, what your skills are, don’t matter”

6. THANKYOU FOR LISTENING. Emma Williams emma. williams@canterbury. ac
THANKYOU FOR LISTENING! Emma Williams Steve @SteveTongCCCU CCPR Website: canterbury.ac.uk/ccpr CCCU Policing Blog: CCCU Policing Programme information: BSc (Hons) Policing (in-service) MSc by Research (policing) MSc Applied Police Practice PhD Policing, Criminology and Law