OPINION: Rich Honess is a former frontline officer now teaching on the in-service degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. As such, he gets asked questions, particularly about degree-level entry to the police service. Here, Rich tries to summarise some of the answers to the questions he's been asked.
OPINION: Can graduates be trained to be detectives in just twelve weeks? Or is the experience gained from time on the street vital to understanding the job? Prof. Stuart Kirby of the University of Central Lancashire weighs the evidence.
OPINION: The issue of degree-level entry for police officers has been much discussed in recent weeks. Carina O'Reilly, an editor at Policing Insight and also both an academic and a local councillor, argues that the ongoing controversy is one of legitimacy - and offers some lessons from local government on how to resolve it.
OPINION: In the wake of the ongoing debate over new police entry routes and the Police Educational Qualification Framework, Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University argues that knowledge in policing needs to be recognised as reflexive, and police education as a two-way process.
OPINION: The @wecops chat on Wednesday 19th July looked at the controversial Police Educational Qualifications Framework (PEQF), focusing on Recognition of Prior Experience and Learning. It was led by Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University, serving frontline officer Dan Reynolds, and the College of Policing. Dan and Emma recount the debate.
OPINION: There has been a lot of recent debate about degree-level entry and the 'professionalisation' of policing. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University has been heavily involved in work to recognise serving officers' existing skills and capacities. Here, she outlines what 'Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning' will mean.
OPINION: Degree level entry to the police is a hugely controversial issue for many serving officers, who feel that the proposals undermine them - but is this fair? Serving officer Dan Reynolds examines the Police Educational Qualifications Framework and what it offers for those already in the force.
OPINION: The College of Policing recently announced three future entry streams to policing, one of which was a pre-entry degree qualification. Serving officer Rich Honess outlines his suggestions as to how those degrees might be structured, based on his previous experience of teacher training.
Analysis: The unveiling by the College of Policing (CoP) of a new Police Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) last month prompted some strong reactions and a heated debate, with the announcement that by 2020 all new recruits would be educated to degree level (either before joining the service, or during their first three years in the job) proving the most controversial issue.
OPINION: Serving police officer Ed Cudmore is completing his Master's degree at Canterbury Christ Church University. In the third of our comment pieces, he examines the response to the College of Policing's announcement about educational qualifications and gives a personal testament to the value of education in policing.
OPINION: Last week the new Police Education Qualifications Framework was unveiled, to a mixed reaction that was at times extremely hostile. Serving officer Gareth Stubbs unpicks the announcement, and punctures some of the myths and misunderstandings around the new plans.
OPINION: Earlier this week, the College of Policing published their "Policing Education Qualifications Framework", widely reported as requiring police officers to have degrees. Serving officer WestCoast Response has two degrees (so, more formally, he's WestCoast Response BA MSc). What does he think of this week's announcement?
OPINION: Critics of Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, have warned it will lead to poorly equipped constables who will be found wanting once on the streets. Serving officer Dan Reynolds went to see for himself - and found a cohort with a maturity far in excess of their four weeks in the job.
OPINION: Police Now, the Graduate Leadership Development Programme for the police, has been controversial in some quarters. Emma Williams of Canterbury Christ Church University lays out her thoughts after spending a day with the scheme, and argues that talented serving officers also need access to high quality training.
OPINION: Former police officer Sharon Gander, now Policing Pathway Lead for the BA (Hons) Criminology Degree of Nottingham Trent University, argues in favour of the College of Policing's proposals for qualifications in policing
