Introduction by Dr Georgie Benford: Director of Learning and Teaching for Health and Social Sciences
Welcome to our blog today. I am thrilled to share a unique and insightful piece from an exceptional young guest contributor. Katie recently had the exciting opportunity to gain secondary school work experience with the Policing Programme at UWE. This experience provided Katie with a glimpse into the world of higher education and our role in delivering a degree education to the profession of policing.
During Katie’s time with us, she was immersed in various activities, learning directly from professionals and academics who are passionate about Policing. Katie kindly agreed to write a reflection on her experience, which we are delighted to share in this blog. We hope you enjoy reading this as much as we enjoyed having Katie spend a week with the UWE Policing Team.
The truth, the whole truth
During my work experience I took part in range of different activities. My favourite experience was a trip to the deception lab, which is all about detecting dishonest responses in interview scenarios. I was able to take a few surveys to see if I was able to initially recognise when people were lying. After testing my skills, I got taught how to detect lying and to support truthtellers in these scenarios. It was really enjoyable and interesting because you would think that identifying lying would be easy but during the session I realised that it is so much more complex than you would imagine! This experience really stood out to me because it was also really relevant to my future career as I’d like to become a Police Detective.
Another thing I did during my work experience was helping with a student engagement day. This included supporting the staff and students attending by going on a tour, observing some simulated crime scenes, for example a burglary scenario and attending some training about how to use handcuffs. There was also a talk about the Policing courses on offer at UWE.
Meeting the experts
I talked with a lot of ex police officers during the week; this inspired me a lot. They helped me understand what it was like to be an officer, shared their experiences and helped me learn about Police ethics, which was something new to me. They all helped me develop my knowledge on becoming a police officer, for example they talked about the rank structure and different jobs within the police. I also attended a workshop about drug and alcohol usage and how the students’ union support students to drink safely while still having fun at university.
Coming to UWE for work experience really helped me understand how to get into the Police and it made me look forward to going onto the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) course. I gained new knowledge about the university and the different courses and I got taught about the student timetable. Throughout the week I have realised more and more that there are a range of different jobs within policing, and its more varied than I thought. There’s something for everyone in the police, there’s forensics involved, psychology and critical thinking; loads of different aspects and choices within one whole career.
Help is at hand
If you have any questions about a career in Policing, but don’t know how to get there or what specific route to take, or even what role you want to be in I would recommend that you speak to UWE too. I would reach out, ask the staff any questions, and learn about their courses. If you do this, I would 100% say that you’ll have a better idea of the courses and whether Policing is for you.
To sum up my work experience it was really exciting and very interesting. I had a lot of fun hearing about the courses and in particular looking round the simulations and doing the deception lab.
The experience has improved my confidence in talking to new people, and my IT skills but the most important lesson I’ve learned would have to be that putting yourself out there is essential, and it gets so much easier the more you do it.
My advice to someone who’s thinking about doing work experience at UWE is to do it. The hardest part of my week was definitely the first day on Monday. This is because I didn’t really know what to expect and that was overwhelming. Further into the week the less nervous I got. Once you get used to it, it is definitely a really good place for work experience. Also, I would recommend other student’s to be confident in your abilities and ask questions because, you aren’t going to get judged and people are trying to help you. They’re doing it for you, so you might as well ask for help.
What I’ve learned
This week has given me so much more information than I have ever been exposed to, not only about joining the police, but what it is like being in the Police too. I am now more confident in what routes I could to take to get into the Police, which I was uncertain about before. I have identified the training I need to do and I have been able to meet the relevant course leader. This course is my next step to achieving my goal and I am looking forward to progressing.
Here at UWE, we all wish Katie the very best in achieving her ambition of joining the Police. More information on joining can be found here
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer); Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer) & Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer).
If you would like to be a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk
In this blog, we shine the spotlight on UWE Bristol Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) graduate Duncan Gordon. We have a growing number of PCDA Alumni and it was nice to catch up over a coffee and find out how Duncan is getting on with his career in Avon & Somerset Police. Having successfully completed the PCDA, we also discover some top tips from Duncan for apprentices progressing through our programme.
What inspired you to pursue a policing degree apprenticeship at UWE?
My journey is different to most, arriving in policing as a mature student after a 20-year career as a schoolteacher. I had always wanted to join the police, so the PCDA programme gave me the chance to fulfil that aspiration. I joined the PCDA programme in 2020 right at the start of the COVID pandemic, graduating just over a year ago in June 2023.
What have you been working on since leaving UWE and what is your current role?
Since UWE, I have become a nationally accredited PACE Advisor supporting Senior Investigating Officers’ (SIOs) on a murder investigation, passed both my National Investigators’ Exam (NIE) and Sergeant’s Exam and most recently became an accredited PiP2 Detective. I have worked as an Assistant Detective Sergeant in a CID Core Team and in the last month have gained temporary promotion as one of only 16 Detective Sergeants across the constabulary working in the specialist Bluestone Department, overseeing investigations into rape and serious sexual offences. I am currently studying to take my Sergeants’ Board at the end of this year with the aim of becoming a substantive Detective Sergeant.
What skills did you acquire during your apprenticeship that you find most valuable in your current role?
I would say skills and mindset. Applying skills and knowledge learnt at UWE back on district is easy to demonstrate. I remember leading a briefing for a drugs warrant, with a room full of hugely experienced firearms officers, dog handlers, drone operators, search teams and response cops. I used the IIMARCH template from my Craft Skills module which gave me the structure and confidence to deliver a successful briefing. Working in CID, I was the Officer in the Case (OIC) for an investigation into a critical incident that received national media attention. I was able to use the knowledge of applying the National Decision Model (NDM) and Investigative Building Blocks to devise a successful investigation strategy that resulted in a criminal conviction and recognition for effective joint working across departments.
Mindset is less easy to demonstrate. However, as part of the promotion application officers must answer the questions ‘Why me? Why now?’ In preparation for this, I have been keeping a journal at the end of each month to record what I have done well and where I have developed from any mistakes made. The regular reflections written during the PCDA programme gave me a good foundation for reflective practice, allowing me to focus on my learning. Working in the Bluestone Department we must look at the whole story of offending, finding ways to disrupt offenders and protect victims. This is problem solving policing. Stepping back from the detail of an investigation to understand why it is occurring and how it can be prevented.
Studying for my NIE and Sergeants’ exams required commitment and dedication as these had to be done at the same time as carrying out my daily duties in CID. I was able to draw on the strategies that I used to complete my PCDA Year 3 dissertation where I was also studying at the same time as working. It certainly was not easy but knowing that I had done it before gave me the confidence to know that I could do it again.
What were some of the biggest challenges you faced during your apprenticeship, and how did you overcome them?
Spending the first year of my apprenticeship in lockdown, one of the biggest challenges was the sense of isolation. All of our teaching was remote learning so it was not as easy to talk through any issues or questions. I was fortunate that there were other people on my response team who were on different years of the PCDA programme, so I made a conscious effort to ask them questions. When I was finally able to attend UWE in person, I made a small study group of colleagues from my response station who I could talk to, share ideas, ask questions, and realise that we were all facing similar concerns. Over years 2 and 3 we would regularly meet, share news, help answer questions, laugh and develop a sense of camaraderie that I had never experienced in my previous career. I now consider those people some of my closest friends.
Can you share a success story or a proud moment from your time on the PCDA?
I had personal successes on the PCDA programme, obtaining high marks in individual modules and my overall degree classification. However, without doubt the proudest moment was sharing the success of my colleagues with whom I had developed a strong friendship over the PCDA programme. We all faced different challenges over the three years but knowing that we had been there for each without question or judgement gave me an immense sense of collective pride. Four years ago, I didn’t know their names, now I would do anything for them and know that they would do the same for me.
What advice would you give to someone on the PCDA at UWE?
My advice for colleagues currently on the PCDA programme is to show the Force value of ‘Courage’ in your studies. That may be showing the courage to overcome embarrassment in standing in front of the group to give a presentation or participate in a role-play exercise. It may be the courage to have the humility to ask for help when you are struggling with understanding a learning point or if an external factor is affecting your wellbeing. It is also the courage to be completely honest with yourself, reflecting and identifying how your mindset is affecting outcomes and not deflecting them on others. It is a cliche, but what you get from the course really will reflect what you put into it. Finally, be courageous to offer others help. You may feel that you don’t know the answers, but demonstrating compassion and active listening is extremely powerful.
I would also suggest volunteering for everything when back on district. Go to all types of jobs, work with all types of teams, demonstrate a ‘How can I help?’ attitude. Be professionally curious. It will put you in the position of gaining a range of experiences, helping you work out what you want to do and just as importantly, what parts of policing are not for you. A positive mindset also gets you noticed. Respect people’s rank, but do not be intimidated by it. Make the first move to initiate conversations, you will find that people are more than happy to share their advice and knowledge with you. Do not be surprised if the people who get selected for courses, operations and promotion are the ones who demonstrate positivity.
A final thought?
In policing we invariably meet people having the worst day of their lives. Be the person that you would want to turn up if you or your loved one were having the worst day of your life.
Duncan has certainly made an outstanding start to his policing career and we all wish him the very best for his Sergeants’ Promotion Board. We also hope to share more Alumni success stories over the coming months.
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer).
If you would like to be a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk
This week’s UWE Policing blog turns the spotlight on Police Constable Jodie Norris. Jodie is a police officer with Avon and Somerset and is a Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) student here at the University of the West of England (UWE). In the short time since he joined, he has made a big impression. Jodie has taken an active role within the PCDA as a student representative, acting as the voice of the PCDA student body. He is also a valued member of his response team. Back in March Jodie was nominated for the ‘Officer of the Year’ award. Eve caught up with him to find out how that went, why he loves the job he does and whether he has any tips for new students…
Please tell me a little bit about your career so far.
I originally joined Avon and Somerset Police as a PCSO in 2019, working initially in Somerset West before transferring to Taunton. It was never my intention to become a Police Officer as I really enjoyed the community level work which comes as being a part of the neighbourhood team. However, as my career progressed, I found I wanted to do more. Whilst in Taunton I was very lucky to work with a great team, particularly a PCSO Supervisor named Sharon Baker who was so supportive of my progression. I was a Hate Crime Tactical Advisor and a tutor. A position came up as an acting PCSO supervisor which I applied for and was successful. I enjoyed the training and the role, however felt that it was not the right time for me to be more office based. I started working a lot of overtime, working side by side with response officers and got to see more about the PC role. Initially I was put off by the PCDA programme and having to go back into education, however the more I learned about the programme, the more it started to interest me. Eventually, I applied for the role of a PC and was successful and was lucky to be posted to Taunton working with response Team 3.
As a PC I have undergone a lot of additional training already, I have tried to upskill as much as possible and I have found a bit of an affinity for traffic related incidents. After my time on response, I hope to return to Neighbourhood policing, however the ultimate goal would be to join the Roads Policing Unit before looking at studying to become a Sergeant. I enjoyed my role as a Tutor when I was a PCSO and later in my career hope there is scope to return to training, either within the PDU or something with UWE.
Congratulations on being nominated for ‘Officer of the Year’, the ceremony was held on 12th March, how did you get on?
Unfortunately, I did not win, however I was not disappointed, sitting and listening to all the amazing stories of so many brilliant officers and staff, just to be in the room was a reward it in self. We do not do this role for the thanks; however it is always nice to be recognised.
Could you explain what the award is and what the ceremony was like?
I was nominated for ‘Police Officer of the Year’. The ceremony was glamourous and fun, officers and police staff of all ranks and roles coming together, enjoying an evening of each other’s company, talking about their experiences, having a lovely meal and a drink or two. Everyone was dressed formally and I got to wear the Police No1 uniform, being a tunic. I was allowed to bring along a guest, which was my wife Victoria, who has been so supportive of my journey into policing and I couldn’t have done this without her.
How did it feel to be nominated?
I was shocked to find out I had been nominated but even more to be shortlisted. The final came down to 3 officers. I am honoured to be considered along with the other amazing people; I feel very humbled by the whole experience, especially with so many of my peers approaching me to say congratulations and to wish me good luck.
You have clearly been recognised for your achievements as an officer but what is it that encourages you to keep up the good work?
The main reason I keep doing the work I do, is for my family. I have 4 children and an amazing wife. I want my children to see the work I do and understand that they can make a difference. I want them to be as proud of me as I am of all of them and I’m sure they will go on to do amazing things. I want to help keep the world they live in a little safer.
I also see so many people and families who are not as fortunate to have what I have and if I can help change things, whether that be through removing someone from their lives that harms them, putting in a social care referral or even just being there to hold their hand and say everything is going to be ok, that gives me the motivation to keep going.
Finally, I am extremely lucky to be surrounded by some of the most inspiring people I have ever worked with. I might be biased, but Team 3 Base 5, from front line officers to the custody team are the best. All are extremely hard working and supportive, I don’t think I would have been able to push myself as hard as I have without them.
There is a lot of talk at the moment of morale within policing being low, how do you stay positive and what is your advice to other officers?
Being on response is one of the most stressful jobs I have ever had. policing is certainly not what you see on the TV, with a lot of incidents we attend being more social related than policing. Sometimes you do wonder why we are going to things. We are under constant scrutiny and sometimes it feels like everyone has it in for the police. However, I have often felt it’s the smallest percentage who have the loudest voice. Good news doesn’t sell newspapers, so of course a good news story very rarely gets shared, but so often over my career I have had members of the public walk up to me and thank me for my service and this just reminds me that we do still have the support of the public. One of my favourite parts of this job is when you see a child smile and wave and they seem to be excited to see a police officer.
If I had any advice for other officers, it would be to just remember, we only really deal with people at their absolute lowest point and most of them are not happy to see us. We are either arresting them, detaining them under 136, stop searching etc or ruining their evening by telling them to go home after having a few too many drinks. In very few other jobs, do the people you deal with have an instant distain for you. However, this is only the smallest percentage of the population. If you think about all those victims we’ve helped, those people we’ve pulled off bridges, that social care referral that gives a child that better life etc, it really makes it all worth it.
You joined the police through the PCDA programme at UWE. How do you think this experience helped you become a good police officer?
Before my first day at UWE, it had been 23 years since I was last time I was in education and I was very nervous, however I have found the UWE side of role surprisingly enjoyable, not just learning about the laws and legislation, but about why these things exist. The history of policing and how / why things progress as society changes. I often feel a lot better equipped to deal with my role thanks to this background knowledge I have gained from my studies. I have particularly enjoyed learning about the reasons why individuals commit offences and early intervention / preventative measure we can do. I am now 18 months into my role as a student officer. I am both a cohort rep and the whole PCDA / DHEP programme rep. I am looking forward to completing my degree over the next 18 months.
We would like to thank Jodie for sharing his journey on the PCDA at UWE Bristol. His dedication and commitment to both studies and operational delivery are truly inspiring and his story not only highlights the challenges and rewards of this path but also serves as a motivating example for future apprentices. We greatly appreciate Jodie’s openness and the insights provided and wish him and all UWE PCDA apprentices the best of luck as they continue to grow and make a positive impact in their policing careers.
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer).
If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk
To coincide with Women’s History Month and International Women’s Day on March 8th, 2024, here at the UWE Policing Blog we want to recognise inspirational women, past and present, who have played a role in shaping the police as an organisation and in practice. We then ask the question how we can build on the work of these amazing women as we face the future, trying to forge a police force that works to protect our complex society.
Police pioneers
Women had been contributing to policing for many years before their roles were formally recognised in 1914, when the Women’s Police Volunteers Organisation was established. As early as 1883 women had been working as ‘police matrons’ in the custody environment, searching female and child offenders (British Association of Women in Policing, 2024).
The UK’s first female police constable was Edith Smith, who joined Grantham Police (now Lincolnshire) in 1915. She joined one year before the Police Act 1916 made it possible for women to join the police as Police Constables and three years before women achieved the vote in 1918. Edith had full powers of arrest in her role and was described by peers as “of outstanding personality, fearless, motherly and adaptable” (Jackson, 2014).
Edith Smith (Photo courtesy of Grantham Museum, in Jackson, (2014).
Several more female pioneers joined the police in the following years, and in 1920 the Baird Committee review of policing finally recommended women become an integral part of the police force (BAWP, 2024). This promising start nearly floundered in 1922, however, when Sir Edward Shortt (then Home Secretary) proposed the complete abolition of women police officers in the Metropolitan Police. His defeat is owed in no small part to another inspirational woman, Nancy Astor, Britain’s first female Member of Parliament. A vocal supporter of women’s rights, she worked hard to encourage women to play a greater role in civic life, including taking employment in the civil service, police and politics (Newton, 2020).
Locally, Bristol has a proud heritage in promoting women in policing. Originally set up as a voluntary organisation in 1915 under the National Union of Women Workers (Byrne, 2014), in 1921 this initiative became the Bristol Training School for Police Women and Patrols. It was led by another female police pioneer, Dorothy Peto, who became the Metropolitan Police’s first female Superintendent (BAWP, 2024).
By 1949 the number of female police officers had risen to 1148 (BAWP, 2024). More firsts were to follow. In 1969, Sislin Fay Allen became the first black female officer in the Metropolitan Police. Her achievement is even more remarkable because this was six years before the introduction of the Sex Discrimination Act 1975 which finally brought structural parity to women and men in policing and ended the separate rank structures (BAWP, 2024). Locally, Avon and Somerset’s first Black female officer is Adora Pomphrey, who joined in 1980 aged 19. Adora has spoken freely of the challenges she faced, both within and without, and how important it was that women like her created opportunities for others who followed (BBC, 2023).
Sislin Fay Allen (photo from British Association of Women in Policing, 2024). Adora Pomphrey (photo from BBC News, 2023)
These pioneering women opened up the police service in a way never seen before. Their contribution can be directly traced to developments such as the first ever female Chief Constable in 1995, Pauline Clare of Lancashire Police. Along the way, other remarkable women shone a light on structural inequalities facing women, such as Alison Halford, the Assistant Chief of Merseyside Police, whose book No Way Up the Greasy Pole (Halford, 1993)asked some searching questions about how the police service treated female officers in comparison to men. They have all contributed towards changes in the way women are recruited and valued within the police. Today, there are 51,210 female officers in the police forces of England and Wales, accounting for 34.7% of officers overall and around 30% of senior leadership positions (Home Office, 2023). Although there is still much to do, this s a phenomenal growth in a little over 100 years and has only been possible because of the bravery of those early pioneers.
Halford was also a pioneer in the development of how police handled violence towards women. She was instrumental in developing training strategies for interviewing abused women and children (BAWP, 2024). If we look at the developments in how we tackle violence against women and children today, it is notable how many incredible women have devoted their lives to this cause. Women advocating for women less fortunate themselves is a powerful display of solidarity.
Tackling Violence Against Women and Girls in the 21st Century
At higher levels we have women like Dame Vera Baird (QC, DBE), former Victim’s Commissioner. She has a long history of supporting women, such as fighting against pregnancy discrimination in 1987 (Brown v Stockton on Tees Borough Council), and she was heavily involved in pushing the Equalities Act 2010 through Parliament. She recognised the link between female inequality and violence. She was awarded her DBE for services to women and equality and continues to fight for victims’ rights.
Then we have women like Fiona Mackenzie MBE founder of We Can’t Consent to This, who established her campaign in response to more than 60 cases where women had been killed and the perpetrators had claimed the ‘rough sex defence’ – cases such as the death of Natalie Connelly, who sustained more than 40 injuries indicating an extreme level of violence. Campaigns such as We Can’t Consent to This have been hugely influential in the development and introduction of the Domestic Abuse Act 2021, which has removed this defence.
Sadly, many of these campaigns have their origins in personal experience of suffering and loss. These grass roots campaigns are truly humbling, and it is testimony to the bravery of these women that they have sought to turn their experiences into a force for change. Women such as Carol Quinn whose daughter and grandchildren were killed by her son-in-law and who is petitioning against the parole board decision for open prison. Women such as Rachel Williams, who survived being shot by her husband in 2011 and hosted the first survivor-led domestic abuse conference in South Wales in 2019 (STUDA, 2024). Women like Elaine Newborough, Julie Devey and Carole Gould, whose daughters were killed by partners or ex-partners in knife attacks, who are campaigning for increased sentencing powers (Killed Women, 2024). Or Fiona Drouet whose daughter Emily took her own life after being subjected to a campaign of abuse and violence from her boyfriend at university. Fiona has developed the Emily Test, a Gender-based Violence Charter (GBV) for colleges and universities, that provides a framework of minimum standards in the prevention and intervention of GBV.
More locally, at UWE we are trying to work with women who have personal experience to try to change the face of police education. We have our amazing survivor stories contributors at UWE, such as Sabrina Eason, who speaks to student police officers about what it’s really like to live with domestic abuse and how they can recognise the signs and help the women they meet in the course of their jobs. Chief Inspector Sharon Baker, of Avon and Somerset Police, regularly talks to our student officers about her own experiences as a victim of controlling and coercive behaviour and who has been instrumental in setting up an internal survivors’ group within the force. These dedicated women make an undeniable difference to victims of male violence, but it takes a society to create real change.
Sabrina Eason
We are fortunate enough to have fantastic organisations run by passionate professionals and dedicated volunteers, who work tirelessly to support survivors. Charities and commissioned services such as Next Link and SARSAS make a life-changing – sometimes life-saving – contribution to women’s lives. We also have organisations such as Bristol Women’s Voice, who campaign to end the structural inequality for women that underlies so many of these crimes.
Other valuable organisations include The Nelson Trust, founded in 1985 by Mary and Roy Brash, who promote trauma-informed recovery services specifically for women. Their supportive approach to women who have travelled through the criminal justice system as offenders recognises that factors involved in female offending are often related to trauma. Approximately 60% of female prisoners are victims of domestic abuse (Ministry of Justice, 2018), while one case study showed 91% of female offenders have multiple needs such as mental ill health and substance abuse issues (Ministry of Justice, 2020). The evidence base shows that women who receive support are less likely to reoffend than women who are imprisoned. Even better would be to prevent the violence against women and girls that often underpins this trauma.
Despite all this dedication and good work, however, violence against women and girls remains a huge problem. Last week, ahead of IWD, Labour MP Jess Phillips used her time in the House of Commons to read out the names of women killed by men in the UK in the last 12 months. She has performed this grim task since 2016, based on the work of the UK Femicide Census (Femicide Census, 2024). It took her more than five minutes to read the full list of 98 named women (BBC News, 2024). More as-yet-unnamed women will be added to this tragic list.
So, as we head further into the future, it is incumbent on all of us working in criminal justice to ask ourselves how we can build on the hard work and progress of the amazing female pioneers who have gone before us. How can we make the criminal justice system a fairer system for all women in the future? A system that embraces their expertise, knowledge, skills that can and do contribute different approaches to policing. A system that protects women and girls, that is more informed about their vulnerability and works in a preventative and reductionist way. At UWE, we embrace the challenge and would like to shout out a huge thank you for all the amazing, inspirational women, at all levels, both past and present, who have made their own contribution to making the world a better place for women.
(Our thanks to this blog’s authors, Sarah Williams and Dr Anne Eason of the UWE Bristol Policing Programme).
References
Brown v Stockton-on-Tees Borough Council [1987] Civ J0320-10.
The NAW2024 highlights the positive impact that our Police Apprentices have working within Avon & Somerset Police, the communities within the force area and individual victims and suspects. Today is ‘Celebration’ Day of the NAW2024 and this provides a great platform to showcase the impact of the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) jointly delivered by UWE Bristol and our local Avon & Somerset Police Force.
Stay tuned as we will hear directly from an apprentice sharing their story. This story is not only a celebration of individual achievement, but also a tribute to the countless apprentices who are shaping their futures through dedication, hard work, and unwavering determination.
UWE Bristol Apprenticeships and the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA)
The College of Policing introduced the PCDA as one of the routes to join the service which was adopted by Avon & Somerset Police and UWE Bristol in 2019. The PCDA seeks to standardise training on how to ‘Police’ in the modern world where an officer needs to be equipped with the knowledge, skills, and behaviours to fulfil such a demanding and professionally rewarding career.
Jo Parsons is UWE Bristol’s Apprenticeship Coordinator (Policing) and comments that ‘Uwe Bristol’s Apprenticeships are a great way for public and private sectors to collaborate on the design of courses. This provides students with an alternative pathway to more traditional routes of learning which can increase accessibility to more applicants.
Jo goes on to outline the benefits of the PCDA, including:
Earn and Learn at the same time!
Gain a Level 6 Degree Qualification in Professional Policing Practice.
Fully funded course.
From the start you will be part of frontline Policing.
You will be supported throughout the 3-year programme by the Teaching Team, Avon & Somerset Police Tutors, Assessors and the Tri-Partite Policing Team who are all there to assist you along the journey to becoming a qualified Police Constable.
Blended Learning between the classroom and the workplace equips apprentices to be the best Police Officer you can be.
Over the last year, UWE Bristol has received fantastic external validation regarding the quality of delivery and performance of apprentices. In 2023 the PCDA was subject of an Ofsted Inspection and an End Point Assessment Quality Inspection, both achieving ‘Good’ status. Our key partner Avon and Somerset Police (ASP) was ranked 75th in the Department for Education’s Top 100 Apprenticeship Providers and UWE Bristol was listed in the Top 20 ‘Rate my Apprenticeship’ providers. With the PCDA representing over 25% of all UWE apprentices, these accolades reflect our growing reputation.
UWE Bristol Apprenticeships Community of Practice
In the lead up to NAW2024, UWE hosted an ‘Apprenticeships Community of Practice’ event. UWE Bristol Vice Chancellor (VC) Steve West provided an inspiring speech about how UWE’s apprenticeship provision should seek to be brave in facing the challenges of the future and why apprenticeships are forecast to grow. This is in response to being highly sought by industry and apprentices alike. Let us now turn to explore the apprentice experience.
🌟 Spotlight on Apprenticeships: Meet Gary Berry! 🌟
In celebration of National Apprenticeships Week, we are thrilled to shine the spotlight on one of our outstanding apprentices. Over to Gary…
‘Hi, I’m Gary and I graduated from the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA) in March 2023. I can’t believe how quickly the past 3 years have gone!
I joined Avon and Somerset Constabulary (ASC) in March 2020 without any prior policing experience. I was the first in my family to become a police officer and like many of you, I joined as I had a desire to help people and make a real difference. Opting for the PCDA was an obvious choice for me because it provided an opportunity to learn whilst still receiving a salary and offered a stable career. Through this pathway, I obtained a valuable degree at no cost to me, which was particularly important as I already had a degree and was therefore still paying towards that one.
The PCDA course started with a series of lectures on topics such as law and human vulnerabilities, and this marked a steep learning curve for myself and my colleagues. To compound matters, within a week of starting the course, the COVID-19 pandemic meant that we had to leave the classroom and start remote learning. However, after some trial and error, a collaborative effort between ASC and UWE produced a stable learning environment. This learning enabled me to take my initial steps into the real world of policing with some confidence.
The PCDA has given me the opportunity to study a range of interesting topics related to policing, such as stop and search, terrorism, and criminological theories. These subjects have been grounded in evidence-based practices, an approach which I believe is the future of policing as it will help officers and staff to formulate, use and review the best available evidence to inform and challenge current policies, practices, and procedures.
There are opportunities to tailor your learning to your interests as part of the PCDA; for example, a topic that truly caught my professional curiosity is stop and search. This is because I possessed limited knowledge of this policing power, although I was aware of its contentious nature. To develop my own understanding in this area, I joined the internal stop and search scrutiny panel. This involves individuals from within the policing community coming together to scrutinise searches that have been conducted by police officers in ASC. Feedback can then be provided.
A requirement of the PCDA involves writing a dissertation centred around a self-selected policing topic and I chose to focus my research on stop and search. My title was ‘An Investigation into the Barriers Involved in Preventing Police Officers from Utilising Stop and Search Powers’. Navigating the process of writing a dissertation proved to be stressful, however unwavering support from my UWE supervisor helped me to identify a substantial gap in the existing literature.
This research has given me the opportunity to collaborate with the force lead in ASC for stop and search and propose several recommendations. For example, my findings identified that scrutiny impacted officers’ willingness to engage in stop searches. Therefore, I am in the process of introducing internal resources explaining what scrutiny is, how it is applied in ASC and its importance in enhancing our accountability, transparency, and fairness when using this power.
I also had the opportunity to attend and present my research at the annual UWE Social Science Conference in May 2023. The event involved over 20 undergraduate and postgraduate students from other degrees such as Psychology, Sociology, Politics, Criminology and Philosophy, each sharing their own research. To my utmost surprise, my research was awarded first prize. This experience is something that I would not have considered three years ago, and it has allowed me to develop skills in public speaking and presenting.
Since graduating, I have been able to apply the skills I acquired throughout the PCDA course. I contribute to the stop and search and violence against women and girls’ portfolios under the guidance of the leads, specifically in relation to body-worn video (BWV). For example, I have revised the guidance on BWV for both portfolios explaining its importance and benefits, back by evidence-based research. In addition, I analyse the BWV data uploaded by officers to ASC systems to ensure they comply with force policy. Failure to adhere can significantly affect public confidence if complaints arise’.
In January 2024, Gary transferred to the Metropolitan Police Service to take up a response officer role in Wimbledon. He goes on to explain that:
‘The diversity of work in the capital is something I am eager to embrace, along with the plethora of opportunities available. In addition, I would like to pursue a postgraduate degree to further enhance my knowledge and academic skills, providing a solid foundation for my continued career development.
Overall, I believe the various experiences I have gained from the PCDA have equipped me with the necessary knowledge and skills to confidently tackle any future challenges, both in my professional and personal life. I strongly believe that the effort you invest directly correlates with the rewards you reap, especially in this rewarding career’.
Looking forward
Thank you for joining us in celebrating National Apprenticeships Week and the remarkable stories of apprentices like Gary, whom we wish every continued success. The PCDA continues to build on UWE Bristol’s long history of working with regional employers and our bespoke policing facilities at UWE Bristol are the envy of other providers.
As we look ahead, the UWE Bristol Policing programme remains steadfast in our support for apprentices and apprenticeship programs, ensuring that every individual can thrive and succeed. Here’s to the continued success of apprenticeships and the countless PCDA officers whose career journeys in Policing inspire us all.
Today’s blog is written by Associate Director (Policing) Sarah Williams and reflects on the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (UN Women, 2023). This ends on December 10th (International Human Rights Day).
This annual campaign was first launched in 1991. Today, more than 30 years later, the World Health Organisation estimates that some 30% of women worldwide continue to experience violence of some sort (WHO, 2023). It can be tempting to underestimate the scale of the problem in the UK, but this would be a mistake. A lot of violence against women and girls takes the form of domestic abuse and sexual offences and sadly both are prevalent here.
2.1 million people in the UK experienced domestic abuse in the year ending March 2023 (ONS, 2023a). That’s 2.1 million people who have been hurt in some way by those who they have (or had) close relationships with, be that a partner or a family member. And that’s before we think about those harmed in other ways – the children terrified by domestic abuse between their parents, the friends who see someone they care about slowly fade away, the parent who sees their adult child blame themselves for the abuse they suffer. Domestic abuse is a disease. It blights the lives of those it touches and ultimately it costs lives. There were 134 domestic homicides in the UK in 2022 (ONS, 2023b) and it can be a risk factor for suicide among victims (Devries et al, 2011; Keynejad, 2023).
Women are disproportionately affected by domestic abuse (ONS, 2023c), being twice as likely as men to experience it. Rape and sexual assault are also horrifyingly common. Based on data provided by the Office for National Statistics (ONS, 2023d), Rape Crisis believes that 1 in 4 women have been raped or sexually assaulted (Rape Crisis, 2023). Many of these rapes and assaults will take place in the context of a relationship.
So, what can we do about this persistent violence against women in the UK that continues to traumatise so many? The scale of the problem can feel overwhelming, but small steps can lead to big changes and there is something that we can all do. Voicing our support for those tackling violence against women and girls is a small step towards showing we will not tolerate it any longer. This year’s 16 Days of Activism asked people to do just that and to share the actions they are taking to tackle violence against women and girls. By spreading the word, we can share good practice, inspire others to do the same, and send a clear message to society that VAWG will not be tolerated. Let’s not stop after 16 days. Let’s keep up this vital work and continue the fight well into 2024.
UWE Bristol Policing tackling VAWG
UWE Bristol has played its own part in supporting the 16 Days of Activism initiative by being a signatory to an open letter sent by the Bristol Women’s Commission to local media (BWC, 2023). Along with many other local organisations, including UWE’s policing partner Avon & Somerset Police, the signatories have pledged to support local activism against VAWG and encourage other businesses, organisations and individuals to do the same. As part of its wider equality, diversity and inclusion approach, UWE Bristol also has its Speak Up campaign, aimed at creating an inclusive campus where everyone feels safe and where harassment, assault and discrimination will not be tolerated (UWE, 2023a and 2023b). This will continue long after the 16 days have ended.
Here on the policing programmes at UWE Bristol, we are tackling violence against women and girls through police education, making sure we include the latest developments in research, and policing and educational policy and practice. Among our recent changes we have:
Increased awareness of controlling and coercive behaviour and the barriers victims face when trying to leave an abusive relationship.
Included sessions on how trauma-informed practice can improve the experiences of victims and increase successful prosecutions.
Helped students explore how evidence-based research influences police practice and how this can help protect women and girls.
Incorporated greater awareness of the specific needs of those with protected characteristics or specific vulnerabilities.
Enhanced our sessions on understanding the dangers faced by victims of VAWG, exploring police techniques to identify and manage risk.
Placed a greater emphasis on digital evidence and investigative quality, and how maximising these can support evidence-led prosecutions that reduce the stress placed on victims.
Included more scenario-based teaching where policing students learn to apply what they have learned in our realistic simulation suite (UWE, 2023c).
We aren’t going to stop there. Policing at UWE Bristol takes a continuous improvement approach to its policing provision. We aim to help produce a new generation of police officers driven to tackle VAWG – officers who know how to manage offenders effectively, who understand the needs of victims, and who can use evidence-based approaches to intervene early. In doing so we hope to improve the lives of victims and survivors and contribute to the wider fight to prevent VAWG.
Unite to tackle VAWG
If you want to help us in the fight against VAWG, please circulate your own good work or show your personal support for the 16 Days of Activism and beyond by using the following hash tags on your social media: #NoExcuse, #16Days, #EndVAWG.
Devries, K., Watts, C., Yoshimama, M., Kiss, L., Schraiber, L.B., Deyessa, N., Heise, L., Durand, J., Mbwambo, J., Jansen, H., Berhane, Y., Ellsberg, M. & Garcia-Moreno, C. (2011) Violence against women is strongly associated with suicide attempts: Evidence from the WHO multi-country study on women’s health and domestic violence against women. Social Science and Medicine [online] Vol 73(1), pp.79-86. [Accessed 5 December 2023].
Keynejad, R.C., Paphitis, S., Davidge, S., Jacob, S., & Howard, L.M. Domestic abuse is important risk factor for suicide. British Medical Journal [online] Vol 379, pp.2890-2890. [Accessed 5 December 2023].
World Health Organisation (2023) Violence Against Women [online]. Available from: Violence against women (who.int) [Accessed 25 November 2023].
Editorial Team
UWE Policing blog team: Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer). If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact Police.blog@uwe.ac.uk
This week’s blog is written by UWE Bristol Policing programme Senior Lecturer Gary Stephens. Gary served in Avon & Somerset Police as a Detective Chief Inspector prior to joining UWE Bristol where he is the module leader for ‘Becoming an Evidence-based Police Practitioner’ on the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA).
There is general consensus that Evidence-based Policing (EBP) is the development of knowledge, which is shared to inform operational practice. Working together with Avon & Somerset Police we seek to blend the best of policing craft with the science of ‘what works’. This is important because traditional models of policing no longer appear to provide the answers to a lot of current and future policing problems. Having recently attended the Society of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) annual conference, Gary reflects on the key learning from this event.
Society of Evidence Based Policing (SEBP) annual conference
Over the 9 – 10 November, the SEBP held their annual conference at the College of Policing in Ryton. The SEBP are insiders, they are predominantly police officers with day jobs who are committed to nurturing change from within their organisation by developing knowledge, practice and performance utilising Evidence Based Policing.
Attending the conference were UWE policing staff Associate Director Dr Anne Eason along with Senior Lecturer Gary Stephens. Amongst the over 130 other candidates were representatives from forces and organisations from around the country, and internationally, including Inspector Alecto Shyne and PS Sue Coates from the Avon and Somerset Inspection and Evidence Based Policing Team.
The title of the conference was:
The importance of focus: How can evidence based policing drive precision policing?
The conference was opened by the SEBP Chair T/Chief Constable Alex Murray of West Mercia Police who introduced the variety of speakers delivering presentations over the two days. A consistent theme was the importance of modern policing being data led and optimising the principle of ‘what works’.
The College of Policing are at the forefront in using evidence led policing and Director of Knowledge and Innovation Rachel Tuffin outlined recent developments, most notably the practice bank, which complements the longer standing Crime Reduction Toolkit. The practice bank shares crime prevention and community safety best practice initiatives developed across the country to assist officers in their own local problem solving.
Speakers spoke of subjects ranging from crime satisfaction, focused deterrence to using vetting data to understand the more prevalent characteristics of those who go onto be subject of gross misconduct proceedings. Whilst there was a wide range of speakers there was one consistent theme, the importance of using data to produce a deeper understanding of what works and to utilise this as evidence to inform practice.
So what did we take specifically from the two days?
The material from all speakers was valuable but what we found most interesting is how EBP is constantly developing and how we can all contribute to it. For example, we now know that, under certain conditions, hot spots policing works. One of these conditions is optimising the time officers (or PCSOs) are present in a given hot spot (The Koper curve theory). However, a study in Leicester based on hot spot patrolling areas of potential disorder has developed this principle further. In partnership with the Youth Endowment Fund youth outreach workers were employed to be in hot spot areas and engage with youths to prevent disorder. During this time they sought to engage those youths in diversionary interventions, something EBP tells us works. But to follow Koper’s 12-16 minute rule would not enable them to engage, so the patrols were extended, often in excess of 50 minutes, which allowed them to nurture conversations and engage with potential offenders.
The conference was closed by Professor Lawrence Sherman, the leading architect and proponent of EBP who outlined the need to move from the 3R’s (random patrol, rapid response, reactive investigation) toward the 3Ts (targeting, testing and tracking). As well as reflecting on where EBP was and where it is now he outlined his vision of the next steps for it. As Chief Scientific Officer for the Metropolitan Police he took an active role in an initiative that was recently launched to target the serious amount of violent harm against women and girls in London. With limited resources the police must focus their resources on those who present the most harm. A top 100 list, ‘the power few concentration’ was produced. Having identified the top 100, a key tactic used was application for Sexual Risk Orders. If the application is successful, this order places stringent conditions on subjects. In the short time since this initiative has been running an impressive 85% reduction in offending has been identified.
Professor Sherman suggested that future steps for EBP could be in adopting these principles of ranking and stacking relative risk, and further utilising the principle of the 3T’s, in categories such as repeat burglary, ASB 999 calls, police misconduct and others. If adopted this could lead to what he described as not doing more with less, somewhere policing has found itself in recent years, but doing less with more.
What can you do?
Join the SEBP, it’s easy, just go online and join. You will receive regular e mails of evidence-led studies and initiatives and you will have access to all resources.
Look out for the posters around campus with QR codes you can click on to provide direct access to the practice bank amongst other resources.
Be that evidence led practitioner – it works! As a practitioner guided by evidence, integrate its effectiveness seamlessly into your daily operations for your specific purposes. Embrace the principles, customise them to your context, and employ them to focus on your objectives. Shift from perceiving it as an abstract concept; it’s increasingly becoming standard practice, and we need to fully harness the principles of EBP in contemporary law enforcement.
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Eve Middleton (Tripartite Assessor – Policing); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer); Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer) & Micah Hassell (Senior Lecturer).
If you would like to contribute as a guest blogger, please contact Police.Blog@uwe.ac.uk
For decades Policing was founded upon local connections and awareness of problems by the local ‘beat bobby’. The evolution of Computer Aided Dispatch resulted in an era of policing that became reactionary and demand driven. As the old saying goes, ‘you can only expect what you inspect’ and policing became driven by response times and how quickly officers could move on to the next job to ‘clear the screen’.
Recognising this problem there was a drive to adopt problem-solving policing in the 1980’s which has been a feature of British policing ever since. It is a proactive approach that involves identifying problems before they result in criminal activity, rather than reacting after the event.
This month, the College of Policing published new guidelines that aim to further encourage a consistent problem-solving culture across policing. We are fortunate in this guest blog to hear from Superintendent Dickon Turner who is Chair of the Avon & Somerset Police ‘Problem Solving Workshop’ which drives the forces problem-solving philosophy, response and evaluation. Notably, it has also collaborated with the UWE Bristol Policing Programme, resulting in enhancements to the training received by Police Constable Degree Apprentices in their ‘Becoming an Evidence-Based Police Practitioner’ Module.
Image of Superintendent Dickon Turner
As Dickon prepares to retire from policing later this month, we extend our gratitude for his 30 years of public service and wish him well in his future endeavours. Here are his reflections on solving problems during a varied and rewarding 30-year police career. Over to Dickon…
Initial impressions
Image of a traditional Police helmet
In 1993 I joined Thames Valley Police looking like a 12-year-old. I struggled to find my place in a competitive macho culture where winding-up drunk people in order to arrest them was the norm and stopping 3 cars (hoping for an arrest) on the way to a burglary victim you had been deployed to was common. Luckily, I was selected to be a tutor constable then a beat manager in West Reading. Both these roles taught me the importance of investing energy into longer term work which I have found so rewarding through my career.
The early years on the job
In the 90s crimes were mostly pretty simple – virtually no-one had a mobile phone, loads of cars were stolen and fraud was mostly cheque-kiting. I found my niche though, after a 2-week attachment to the Child Protection Team in Bristol. This turned into a year, then a detective qualification, acting Detective Sergeant and some very difficult but gratifying investigations. Like the couple who tortured their toddler (30+ injuries including cigarette lighter burns) and were sent to prison, or the grandfather sentenced to 8 years for raping his 8-year-old grandson. Though the story was hard to hear, the hardest was dealing with the boy’s mother (and offender’s daughter) who asked me so many questions through her tears – like “what do I say to him when he is older? How do I deal with my mum (who was standing by the offender)?”
After a short spell as uniform sergeant at I went back to Child Abuse Investigation. This was my favourite role. I had a great team, fantastic relationships with partner agencies and dealt with a lot of harrowing cases. I investigated 13 child deaths in that time – mostly natural causes, a few suicides, but a couple of manslaughters too. It is such a privilege to be finding answers for a family at the very worst point in their whole life. Many of these will stick with me for ever.
Evidence-based Policing in practice
Dial with neddle pointng to the highest level. Evidence based practice concept
As Detective Inspector ‘Prevent’ in Counter Terrorism I learned a lot about intelligence and covert policing which I had no exposure to before, then promoted to Detective Chief Inspector in charge of Offender Management. Another busy job – 105 staff managing about 3000 offenders across Avon & Somerset. Taking a leading role with prisons, Probation and other agencies allowed me to successfully advocate for more resources to manage the riskiest people in our communities – sexual, repeat, juvenile and domestic offenders. I also developed the first domestic abuse perpetrator programme (called Drive) in Force using money from the Home Office, PCC and National Lottery. For the first time I was using an evidence base, research and good practice from elsewhere in the country to reduce risk, prevent offending and make best use of limited resources.
The importance of Neighbourhood policing, SARA and problem-solving
Image of a puzzle
I end my career in charge of Neighbourhood Policing for Somerset and Force Problem Solving lead. Neighbourhood policing is the foundation of everything in UK policing. This is where we gain, maintain or rebuild trust in policing by engaging with individuals, groups, schools and other organisations to understand crime patterns, anti-social behaviour and solve problems. We use the SARA model (Scanning, Analysis, Response and Evaluation) to understand causes before responding in order to tackle underlying issues and prevent escalation or repeat issues. Using the best data, intelligence, information from partners and analysis, this can reduce crime and long-term demand. For example, in Cheddar Gorge, a hotspot for repeated car cruises, working with land owners and the local council the installation of gabions made the area less attractive and has significantly reduced the problem for local residents Problem solving is particularly important now, because over the last 30 years crime has become more complex. Far fewer vehicle crimes and burglaries but far greater risk and vulnerability – for example, a 14-year-old child from Liverpool may be exploited to sell drugs on the streets of Weston Super Mare who may in turn threaten local kids to deal drugs or carry weapons. Anti-social behaviour, petty theft, assaults, and/or murder can all result. We need all our intelligence, analysis, flexibility and partnership working to sort all that out!
Positive impact of the PCDA
Image of the PCDA learning space at UWE Bristol
In 2022 and 23 I have been lucky enough to receive a number of Police Constable Degree Apprentices into my neighbourhood teams. Invariably these apprentices bring energy and fresh ideas. Some are reluctant to come to an area of policing perceived to be less exciting than Response Policing but quickly learn about the benefit of long-term relationships and apply problem solving approaches. They tend to consider serving our communities instead servicing of a list of calls from the public.
Concluding thoughts
Image of countdown clock from work to retirement
How many other jobs have everything above plus appearing on TV and radio, giving evidence in Crown Court, attending post-mortems, being threatened by Bob Marley’s drummer, or being urinated on by a drunk woman (a career low point), pursuing stolen cars, interviewing paedophiles……? Anyone in policing now has my utmost respect and best wishes – stay safe out there.
Further resources
Readers interested in finding out more can refer to these helpful resources:
