You'll look at the purpose of the police service and the responsibilities of those charged with delivering a professional service, particularly at constable level. You'll review the role of law enforcement agencies and be able to understand the concept and principles of policing by consent.

Cover the structure of the police service and members of the service, paying attention to both police constable and investigatory roles. You'll also look at police powers and how these powers are regulated. 

Grasp a clear understanding of how the police exercise police powers and procedures fairly and without bias.

Develop a clear understanding of national policing strategies and the role of external bodies to regulate policing, the importance of governance and data protection. Examine and understand the purpose of reviews, instances of malpractice and misconduct and how this influences the future of policing.

You'll be able to appreciate the purpose, benefits, and challenges of contemporary issues in policing communities in a variety of contexts. 

Explore the function of community perception, trust and confidence and the key issues in this area. Appreciate the importance of community engagement and understand how to foster effective community relationships.

Study the importance of media in a policing and investigation context.

You'll research diverse types of communities and public engagement, drawing on theoretical frameworks. Case studies will be used to assess strengths and weaknesses of the approach to policing and investigating diverse types of community. The legislative framework of PACE and CPIA will be used as a lens for application and discussion.

You'll be introduced to community groups and will spend time learning what makes a community group effective, and how engagement, participation and power all play a role in effecting positive social change.

Explore the fundamental skills required for effective investigation, and identify, articulate and demonstrate skills necessary for maintaining professional standards in policing, and relevant governance.

Analyse how the police have developed policies and procedures to reduce the possibility of professional malpractice; then review the progress being made within the police service to improve professional standards.

Examine the NDM and the role of discretion in the decision-making process and analyse the effect of bias. 

You'll explore principles of risk, and effective risk management, and critically review policing incidents in this context as well as understand the importance of effective leadership and team-working in an investigative environment.

You'll be introduced to the Authorised Professional Practice (APP) which is the official source of professional practice for policing. In particular, the Code of Practice to the Criminal Procedure and Investigations Act (CPIA) 1996, which defines criminal investigation.

You'll be introduced to problem-solving techniques, sources of evidence which can be used to support policing practice, and the models used to differentiate between types of evidence, to identify best practice.

Explore different models used in problem solving and crime prevention, such as: problem-oriented policing (POP), ‘hot spot’ policing, intelligence-led policing, predictive policing, the Problem Analysis Triangle (PAT), rational choice theory (criminological), and situational crime prevention, amongst others.

Engage in effective problem solving of policing issues in role plays, scenarios, and table-top exercises.

You'll explore the professional concept of evidence-based policing and the impact of evidence-based policing in practice. Consider the importance of partnership working and co-production in problem-solving; and the challenges of using multiple sources of data and different timescales to help define and understand problems in practice.

Learn the fundamentals of research, asking key questions to inform future directions, how to develop a range of options, evaluate them, develop the most appropriate solutions to policing problems and the potential consequences.

You'll be required to identify and understand an emerging issue or problem in a specific policing area and plan a research-based intervention to tackle the identified issue/problem.

Victims of crime attract unprecedented academic interest, both as a subject of psychological enquiry and as a focus of criminal justice policy. You’ll study the rights of victims and understand the physical, social, psychological and emotional effects victims face in context of primary offences.

Since the 1960s, the victimisation surveys have aimed to quantify the unreported ‘dark figure’ of crime and have thus helped to build interest in the area. The need to protect the rights of victims has become increasingly important in both public opinion and judicial practice.

You’ll have the opportunity to conduct your own research project about a specific police issue which relevant to your chosen interest and that is identified in the current National Policing Strategy.

You’ll explore research options, sound research practices and appropriate presentation of findings through workshops and one to one supervisions.

You’ll use your knowledge and experience gained over the programme to inform your co-created project based on contemporary issues in modern policing.

You’ll conduct academic research with ethical consideration and review current literature to inform your thinking and provide a knowledge base for your critical thinking in relation to the issues in modern day policing.

Present your work to encourage debate and discussion. Defend your approach to the project using a cohesive and evidence-based argument, providing knowledge and suggestions for future directions.