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Leicestershire Constabulary celebrates its first group of student officers to be awarded the Foundation Degree in Policing from De Montfort University (DMU) today. A pioneering move for the Force, the degree course was launched in July 2006 and is specifically designed by Leicestershire Constabulary and accredited by the DMU. This academic qualification ensures that the training and work of police officers is professionally recognised. PC Kim Watson, grandmother of two, said: "Having left school without any qualifications and spending most of my life looking after my family, here I am, 28 years later, with a degree! Its amazing! "It has been a tough two years and there were times when I found it difficult. However, I would like to thank the trainers, fellow students and my family for their support." PC Watson, one of 19 student officers, attended the graduation ceremony at De Montfort Hall today. Chief Constable, Matt Baggott, said: "I would like to congratulate everyone for their hard work and commitment to make the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP) successful. This is an excellent achievement and heralds a new era in training police officers in Leicestershire. "Many thanks go to the trainers for their dedication in supporting student officers throughout this programme. I believe that this degree is an excellent combination of academic training and the professional mentoring by our experienced tutor constables. "I am confident that the skills this degree course provides will allow our officers to provide a positive response to the challenges of 21st century policing and to deliver a second to none service to the diverse communities in Leicester, Leicestershire and Rutland." The two year programme saw a shift from residential training in various parts of the UK and made it accessible for more sections of the community to join the police service. It allowed new recruits to undertake an extensive and highly professional training programme, known as the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP) at the DMU and still go home in the evenings and at weekends. PS Alan Tuckwood, of the joint Police/DMU project team said: "I am very proud to have been involved with this project and congratulate all the team involved in making it happen. "This was an enormous task, as we had to identify everything a student officer would need to know as well as ensuring their skills were correct. This involved consultation with community representatives, police staff associations, operational staff and academics. We also had to ensure that the practical structures were in place to deliver this training. "It was an incredible experience for me to work on this new qualification for police officers with the academics from the University. Two of the modules are specifically focussed on diversity and community engagement. This allowed student officers to work with community groups and projects. The combination of training and education at the university and in the community allows students to look at the broader issues of policing, society and criminality." The IPLDP is designed by Leicestershire Constabulary and De Montfort University (DMU) and offers both a Foundation degree and an NQV qualification. Student officers spend equal time within the university and the Force, training in the neighbourhoods and with a range of community groups that they will eventually police. More information about Leicestershire Constabulary can be found at http://www.leics.police.uk/news/careers/ |
