Policing by Degrees: Police Officers' Experience of University Education

Challenges for Police Leadership: Identity, Experience, Legitimacy and Direct Entry

“…For example, within the UK, the Trenchard scheme (1933) recognized a need to identify talent within the service that should be Bfast tracked^to more senior positions-while also attracting qualified individuals from other professions who could add value as leaders and influencers within the service (Boyle 1962). Within the USA, similar drives to attract qualified individuals have been linked to debates about professionalizing policing through educational qualifications, lateral entry, and leadership training such as that provided by the senior management institute for police (Krimmel 1996;Lee and Punch 2004). What all of these approaches have in common is a leader centric focus.…”

Adding value? A review of the international literature on the role of higher education in police training and education

“…Although some criminal justice graduates did not regard their degree as highly relevant to their policing duties they felt that it prepared them for future employment (Carlan, 2007). The British literature highlights personal benefits to graduate police officers such as confidence, self-esteem, broadened outlooks and greater tolerance (Lee and Punch, 2004) that are also associated with enhanced professionalism.…”

“…The police discipline adds value to police training by enabling senior police officers to make sense of developments in transnational crime, social exclusion, terrorism, public demand for transparency, and a shift to proactive intelligence-led policing supported by an international research agenda. Yet, while research has demonstrated the value of higher education upon officer attitudes (Lee and Punch, 2004), little empirical research has been conducted on the impact of higher education on behavior and police performance (Feltes, 2002;Jaschke, 2010).…”

“…Indeed, only one thematic inspection of training provision for police probationers has ever taken place within the Police Service (Her Majesty's Inspectorate of Constabulary, 2002) and little systematic evaluation of whether training meets its objectives has taken place elsewhere. For example, Peace (2006) notes the lack of fit between the community policing philosophy espoused by the British government and the methodology employed in police training whilst Lee and Punch (2004) note that the value of higher education lies in a range of undergraduate courses that develop police officers' critical thinking skills and not just the police studies courses that have proliferated across the country. The regionalized structure of the police in England and Wales has made it difficult to develop a coherent national strategy for police learning and development, resulting in a fragmentation of training provision, little oversight of training delivery, and the absence of a clear evidence-base to support policy developments (Peace, 2006).…”

Police students’ social background, attitudes and career plans

“…The police officer has often been described as a man with a lower middle class or skilled working class background (Reiner, 1992: 461, Sparger and Giacopassi, 1986, Niederhoffer, 1969. Many writers have also commented on the traditional antagonism between the police and academia (Lee and Punch, 2004, Granér, 2004: 234, Fielding, 1988. However, several new trends challenge this picture.…”