South Wales Police Working Across Boundaries

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South Wales PoliceWorking Across Boundaries

• Alex Coleman

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Where were we?
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Below is part of the conclusion from HMIC
Training Matters

• If all the relevant planning processes are not
  integrated and properly resourced, the current
  training provision cannot be sustained and
  officers will not be adequately trained.
  Operational capability will be weakened and, as a
  result, public confidence in the police force
  will be undermined. The Service must decide
  between quantity (just an increase in police
  numbers) or quality (the ability of officers to
  operate effectively and provide the quality of
  service demanded by the public). The evidence of
  this Inspection should lead it easily to the
  latter.

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Previous Centrex Curriculum

• 35 Weeks to Independent Patrol which included-
• 15 weeks residential course in Home Office
  Training School.
• Assessment over two years based on Professional
  Development Portfolio (PDP which was not
  externally accredited)

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Benefits

• Enabled bulk training of police officers.
• Less resource intensive as the majority of
  training staff was provided by the Home Office.
• Officers deployed at typically 35 week service.

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Disadvantages

• All training provided was generic regardless of
  force or local policing priorities.
• Negligible community involvement during the
  training period.
• The PDP was inadequate as a tool for assessment.
  This qualification was not externally recognised.

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Where are we now?
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Initial Police Learning and Development (IPLDP)

• Skills for Justice publish 22 National
  Occupational Standards for Police Officers.
• Home Office set minimum standards required for
  forces to deliver their own training.
• Centrex (NPIA) provide mandatory curriculum.
• Centrex (NPIA)outline guidelines on the
  assessment structure needed for IPLDP.
• Centrex (NPIA)give clear guidelines on how much
  community involvement there must be as a minimum.

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Forces OptionsMinimum requirement

• Achievement of 22 NOS.
• Assessments may be completed by people who are
  trained to A1 Standard but not necessarily A1
  qualified.
• Internal Verifiers in force to Q.A. portfolio
  submissions.
• On completion of the Student Officer Learning and
  Assessment Portfolio (SOLAP) the officer will
  then be qualified. The achievement will be
  recorded nationally.

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Forces Options cont.NVQ Level 3 4

• Choose NVQ Awarding Body.
• Achievement of 22 NOS.
• Assessments must be completed by A1 qualified
  assessors.
• Internal Verifiers in force to Q.A. portfolio
  submissions.
• On completion of the 22 NOS via awarding body,
  student officers receive Level 3 and Level 4 NVQ.

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Forces Options cont.Higher Education

• Completion of 22 NOS
• Further academic work aligned with higher
  education in order to obtain enough academic
  credits for a formal qualification. (e.g.
  Foundation Degree which is typically 2/3 rds of a
  degree which equates to 240 credits)

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South Wales Police in partnership with the
University of Glamorgan

• University of Glamorgan already running Police
  Science Degree.
• SWP looking to train within its community in
  line with recommendations in Training Matters.
• University of Glamorgan accredit 22 NOS, Police
  Duties and Law inputs and examinations.
• University of Glamorgan add two modules from
  Police Science Degree to achieve 120 Credits
  required for the first year.

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South Wales Police in partnership with the
University of Glamorgan

• The second year will require a commitment of 7
  weeks at the University of Glamorgan and 1 week
  attached to Investigative Training.
• The modules in the second year add up to a total
  of 120 Credits.
• As long as student officers achieve their SOLAP
  and pass their assignments they will be awarded a
  foundation degree.

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Issues

• Involves radical change in relation to attitude
  toward police training.
• Even though the time training in the first year
  is similar to the old system, there is a
  commitment of 8 weeks in the second year.
• Realisation of the benefits of this type of
  training.

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Issues

• Politics
• Finance
• Pressure on students

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Benefits

• Police Officers are finally given academic
  recognition for the skills they use everyday.
• Second year assignments are based on divisional
  problems in that officers division thereby the
  research is not hypothetical but based on real
  policing problems.
• The officers conclusions will help in relation
  to divisional strategies to combat different
  issues.
• Gives officers an alternative set of tools as
  well as using traditional policing methods.

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Advanced Appointment Scheme

• Undergraduates reading Police Science Degree are
  selected.
• They become Special Constables at the end of
  their first year.
• They work in local divisions and begin gathering
  evidence toward the 22 NOS.

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Advanced Appointment Scheme

• At the end of their degree they attend a bespoke
  course to cover any training gaps.
• They join South Wales Police but are posted
  straight to division as they have covered all
  aspects of the generic course and are already
  performing as a special constable.

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University Police Science Institute(UPSI)

• Director based at Cardiff University.
• Part of tripartite agreement between SWP,
  University of Glamorgan and University of
  Cardiff.
• Officially opened by HRH Prince Charles on 6th
  June 2007.
• Overarches IPLDP, Police Science Degree and
  Research.

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Where are we going?
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The Future

• Accreditation for existing police officers?
• Full degree based on a career pathway?
• Align all police training within a Qualification
  Framework which is externally accredited?

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The Future

• Home Office / NPIA insist all police officers
  complete the same qualification?
• National Foundation Degree?

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What are we doing? Why are we doing it?

• We must never lose sight of the fact that we
  police by consent and the public are the most
  important Quality Assurance measure. If your
  training strategy benefits them and enhances
  operational policing it must be beneficial.
• If it doesnt improve performance and quality at
  the coal face then why are we doing it?

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Final Thought

• Initial Police Training is the Pension Plan for
  the Police Service
• Sir Robin Field-Smith HMIC
• We all know the dangers of investing poorly in
  your pension!

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Thank you