We are grateful to Molly Diamond, a third-year Professional Policing Degree (PPD) student at UWE Bristol, for reflecting on her experience last August with the volunteering scheme Project Zulu.
The Professional Policing degree is a pre-join programme designed to prepare students for roles in the police and wider criminal justice sector after completing their studies. Project Zulu offers students from a range of disciplines the opportunity to volunteer in township schools in KwaZulu-Natal, South Africa.
As part of the safeguarding project, Molly worked alongside two fellow UWE Bristol students from other programmes. During her time there, she delivered lessons to schoolchildren on safety and sexual harassment, presented at a conference for teachers, and discussed safeguarding strategies with school principals. Molly was a real asset to the project, and here she reflects on the experience and the impact it had on her.
Why I took part in Project Zulu
Project Zulu is an organisation that collaborates with various departments at UWE to provide educational support and resources to schools in South Africa. I applied knowing it would be a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity, even though I was also in the middle of my application to join the police specials. When I received an offer to start training, I had to make a difficult decision — the dates clashed with my trip to South Africa. Ultimately, I chose to turn down the offer, trusting that I could reapply later and that this trip was something I couldn’t miss.
Arriving in KwaZulu-Natal
Before leaving, I felt a mix of nerves, excitement, and anticipation. I expected to run a few sessions with the support of Tim, Matt, and the other girls who were offered a place Erin and Emily. I was anxious about flying solo for the first time and being far from family. Thankfully, the flights were smooth, and meeting the Project Zulu team immediately put me at ease.
Delivering safeguarding education
Working in the schools and leading conferences, workshops, and meetings was more manageable than I expected. I’m not someone who thrives on improvisation, and the first workshop tested me: our presentation failed, the children didn’t speak English, and we had 25 more students than planned. It was overwhelming, but with support from Matt, Tim, and the team, we adapted and restructured our workshops to better suit the classrooms.
Engaging with the teachers brought its own challenges, though the language barrier was less of an issue. One conference didn’t go as planned, but we made the most of it and sparked meaningful conversations about the issues children face.
What I learned from the experience
This trip has made me more confident, patient, and flexible. Working alongside Emily, Erin, Matt, and Tim was a privilege, and I’m deeply grateful for the experience. It was filled with hard work, early mornings, and moments of anxiety — but also laughter, growth, and unforgettable memories. If you are thinking of applying, I recommend you go for it, I will never forget this and had the best time ever.
Thank you, Molly, for sharing your experiences and for being such a positive representative of the UWE Bristol PPD programme.
Interested in the PPD at UWE Bristol?
UWE Bristol are regional pioneers of the national transformation in police education. If you would like to find out more about the Pre-join Degree in Professional Policing, you can follow this link
Editorial team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
This week, we are proud to share this insightful blog post about Stand Against Racism & Inequality (SARI), an organisation whose contributions have been invaluable to our Policing programme. Their sessions play a vital role in helping students understand the complexities of hate crime,discrimination, and the deep, lasting effects these issues have on individuals, families, and communities.
For policing students, this learning is more than simply theoretical, it is foundational to professional practice. Future officers must be able to recognise when hate crime manifests, respond with fairness, transparency, and empathy, and demonstrate positive action that upholds community safety and public confidence. Every interaction an officer has, especially in the context of hate and discrimination, contributes either to building trust or eroding it.
There have been overwhelmingly positive responses from Police students within the PCDA programme and DHEP:
“The SARI team are great! They understood things from different perspectives and gave me real insight into hate crime and its effects on victims. It was a great input and I think it was needed. It was eye opening and good to learn about discrimination.”
SARI’s work equips future officers with the insight needed to challenge discriminatory behaviours, support victims compassionately, and understand the wider societal contexts in which hate crime occurs. Their teaching reinforces the core values that underpin ethical policing in the UK: legitimacy, justice, equality, and procedural fairness.
In the year ending March 2025, there were 115,990 hate crimes recorded by the Police in England and Wales (excluding the Metropolitan Police Service). This is a 2% increase compared with the previous year (Home Office, 2025).
Below, you will find short responses from SARI team members who have been interviewed about the challenges faced by victims, the barriers to reporting, and the crucial role that policing plays in response and prevention. The team’s insights capture their lived experience of this important work and the lessons they believe future police officers should take forward.
What does SARI’s mission mean ‘in practice’ for communities in Bristol and beyond?
We see our mission as combatting racism and inequality in all its forms; through support, education, and advocacy.
We strive to create a society where everyone, regardless of their background, is treated with dignity, respect, and fairness.
In practice, this means that people have a trusted and safe space to turn to when they experience hate, and that there is an organisation which is by their side in the fight against hate. We have been doing this work for over 30 years.
What does a ‘day in the life’ look like for someone working at SARI?
Our Project Workers provide a free casework service to victims of hate crime and hate incidents. They offer to see clients at their homes or at a place of their choice and will draw up a support plan for each person they work with. This may include speaking to the client’s housing provider, going into a school on behalf of a young person, or liaising with the police. Project Workers will also chair multi-agency meetings, ensuring that hate and the impact it is having on their client is high on the agenda.
A great deal of time will be spent on the victim’s caseload, working with them as they navigate the aftermath of the hate experience, and ensuring they are regularly kept up-to-date with how their case is progressing.
Each interaction will be different, but the aim is always the same; ensuring clients feel heard, validated, and supported.
Our Training and Education department, along with members of the casework team, work to raise awareness of hate and the impact it has, delivering sessions to schools, organisations and agencies, including the police. These sessions aim to build understanding around how to recognise and respond to hate.
What are the most common challenges individuals face when reporting hate crime or discrimination, and how does SARI support them?
There are numerous issues that people face when reporting hate or discrimination. This is why our support is so important, because it gives victims a safe space to be validated by people who understand the impact of hate.
One of the biggest challenges is the fear that they won’t be believed, or that their traumatic experience of hate will not be taken seriously.
There can also be a lack of trust in institutions, such as the police, amongst some of the communities we work with, especially if they have had poor interactions with them in the past, or if the hate has come from within the police. In these cases, we do the reporting on their behalf, and work with them so that by the end of their time with SARI, they feel empowered and confident to report themselves.
What misconceptions about racism or hate crime do you encounter most often, and how do you challenge them?
There can be a lack of awareness around different cultures and communities, which then influences the bias that someone may have regarding an another person’s behaviour. We challenge this through our training, where we speak about misconceptions.
What role does educating police students at UWE play in preventing hate crime, and what initiatives does SARI offer?
We believe that education is fundamental to the work that we do here at SARI. Promoting social cohesion and the understanding of communities from diverse backgrounds is inherent for a better, more just society.
We feel it is essential that people with influence and power, who work with some of the most vulnerable people in our communities, understand the challenges and barriers that they face on a day-to-day basis.
A lot of the work we do here at SARI is around the Equality Act 2010 and the sessions that we deliver to the police students at UWE is mostly based on lived experience.
We offer a free casework service to any person who perceives that they have been targeted with a hate crime or a non-crime hate incident due to one of their protected characteristics.
We also deliver training and education sessions to schools, colleges, organisations, and agencies, raising awareness of the impact of hate and how to respond to it. We attend strategic and multi-agency meetings, holding agencies to account and exploring trends of hate crime and non-crime hate incidents to ensure that we are where we need to be.
What advice would you give to someone who witnesses or experiences a hate crime or incident?
If it is an emergency, please call 999. If you are a witness of, or a victim of a hate incident, we encourage you to report it to SARI and to the police. We have compiled a useful resource for people if they encounter hate.
How do you make a referral to SARI?
You can make a referral via our website or by calling us on 0117 942 0060.
We also run an out-of-hours service where you can leave a message, and someone will get back to you.
What is SARI’s vision for the future? What changes do you hope to see in the next five years?
It sounds cheesy but, we would like to see people be kinder to each other, respect and value difference. At the moment it feels like there is so much division, which is playing out in day-to-day interactions and seriously impacting how safe and welcome people feel in our communities.
Practically, we would like to see tackling hate crime and incidents become a statutory duty in line with domestic abuse.
Hate has such a devastating impact across our communities, leaving people afraid to go out of their houses, go to school, live their lives and in the worst-case scenarios, hate crime kills.
It is therefore imperative that hate crimes are addressed with the gravity they demand.
Thank you so much to the team at SARI for providing these valuable insights. Your work continues to be a vital part of their learning journey, and it’s a privilege to have you involved in the Policing programmes at UWE.
To end this blog, we would like to leave you with some feedback from the lecturing team, reflecting student comments and the experiences that they have shared with them:
“I just wanted to say a sincere thank you for the sessions you delivered yesterday. Your input was incredibly valuable, and the impact on our students was clear and deeply appreciated.”
“The feedback from your session was especially positive, students spoke highly of the relevance, openness, and the opportunity to engage with such important and challenging topics.”
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief), Claudia McCready (Lecturer), Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer), Eve Smietanko (Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
To mark the NAW2026 Apprentice Wednesday theme, we are sharing another snapshot of life on the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA). In this blog, apprentice officer Tom Owen from our June24 cohort, reflects on the variety and pace of frontline policing, busts a common myth about the journey into the role, and explains how academic learning, reflective practice and real-world experience combine, often under pressure, to shape professional judgement. Over to Tom…
Favourite part of the role
Variety – no two days feel the same. You might be writing coursework, reflecting on your experiences one day, and the next you’re then seeing how the theory translates into practice as you juggle safety, legislation, and investigation at the scene of a roadside collision. That overlap between academic thinking and frenetic frontline policing is demanding, but it makes the PCDA feel like real professional development, not just policing with university on the side.
One Myth to bust
It’s a long road to becoming a police officer. That’s definitely not been my experience. Day one, its impressed upon you that you’re an officer – with the accountability and responsibility that comes with it. The expectations are rightly high even as you learn the basics.
Day in the life
There’s no standard day, and no easy ones either! You might be on a nine-hour shift, with no possibility of rest and no guarantee of finishing on time. During that you’ll work collisions, assaults, thefts, and anything else that you’re thrown at and whether you’re with your tutor (in the early days) or out on your own, you’re constantly applying what you’ve learned to some really chaotic situations. You may never have experienced real conflict before, but you’ll suddenly find yourself trying to remember how a complex piece of legislation fits the circumstances you find yourself in and gets you to a good outcome for the people involved. If you’re not on shift and back in an academic cycle the pressure doesn’t lessen. Sure, you may not be in harm’s way, but you’ll have assignments and deadlines that keep the pressure on. It’s so important to find ways of balancing it all, managing that stress, but it’s worth it. It really is.
Top 3 learning moments
Reflective writing helps you. It feels strange and perhaps less than relevant when you begin writing reflections as part of the apprenticeship programme. Lean into it: It’s a crucial skill. It teaches you to take a moment and breathe, to learn what you can from a situation and to recognise the things that are within (or beyond) your control. You’ll need that every day you’re on duty.
Keep de-escalating. Find new ways to try to calm a situation. Even if you’ve tried, even if you’re repeating yourself, even while you’re having to physically intervene just keep trying to calm them.
Theory and Practice: it’s fair to say that some models you look at in university don’t quite land cleanly out in the world. Policing is messy and chaotic and you’ll scratch your head trying to find the relevance of a particular model. Take the pieces of each of them that apply to a situation though and you’ll quickly find yourself building better ways of approaching problems that come up again and again.
Challenges
The hardest part of the process is workload. The University periods seem well contained, but managing your reflective practice and selecting evidence to meet competencies while being bounced from incident to incident can prove challenging. The work of response policing alone can be challenging to be honest, if somewhat expected. The best advice is to speak with your tutor and supervisor early and check in if you need to.
Advice for applicants
Get comfortable with planning your work in advance – even on district. If you have investigations, you’re managing then understand who you need to speak to, where you need to go to advance them and do it before the radio calls you to the next demand on your time. It’s fair that even the best laid plans rarely survive a busy shift but keep a record of outstanding tasks and get to them when you can – it’ll save you a headache later as you try to catch up and the radio’s calling.
Thanks to Tom for sharing such an honest and thoughtful snapshot of life on the PCDA. If you are interested to find out more, you can follow these links to #NAW2026 and the Police degree apprenticeship route.
Editorial team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
“Reflection is one of the most underused yet powerful tools for success.” – Richard Carlson
Many of us have fresh goals and ambitious plans as we step into the new year. However, before we race ahead, there is immense value in pausing to look back. Reflection isn’t just about remembering what happened. It’s about understanding what those experiences taught us and how they shape the way forward.
Our first blog of 2026 is written by Eve Middleton, who is our Apprenticeship Progress Manager in Policing at UWE. Eve has worked at UWE since 2014 in various different roles, but always linked to the support of our frontline vocational programmes including: teaching, nursing and now policing – since 2020.
In this blog Eve considers why reflection is such an important part of policing and life. Over to you Eve…
Why reflection matters…
I recently spoke with a student officer who, during their first year, couldn’t see the point of reflections. It felt like a box-ticking exercise that took time away from the real action in the station.
By their second year, their perspective had shifted. Revisiting earlier reflections, they saw clear evidence of how far they’d come — from feeling uncertain and easily flustered on patrol to attending complex incidents with confidence. Seeing their own progress written down made a real impact.
I’ll admit, I whooped (and tried hard not to say I told you so). They’d captured one of the most valuable parts of reflection. It’s not just about analysing mistakes or spotting weaknesses. Sometimes, it’s simply about taking a moment to recognise growth.
“We do not learn from experience… we learn from reflecting on experience.” -John Dewey
The College of Policing describes reflective practice as a key part of professional learning. In simple terms, it’s about making sense of your experiences. Understanding what went well, and what didn’t, and how you can use those lessons next time. Policing isn’t a static job; every day brings something new. Officers who can think critically about their actions, learn from mistakes, and adapt is what keeps them, their colleagues, and the public safe.
Reflective practice also helps you meet apprenticeship funding requirements. Every apprentice has to evidence a set amount of off-the-job training. This is new learning linked to the required knowledge, skills, and behaviours (or KSBs for short) that underpin the Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA). Reflective writing counts towards KSBs and it also builds valuable evidence for student officers’ apprenticeship portfolios. It is also great preparation for professional discussion assessments, where you’ll be expected to explain what you’ve learned and how it links to the KSBs.
Beyond Pen and Paper
Not everyone connects with traditional written reflection. Some people think best out loud, which is why we’ve introduced the option for UWE PCDA Apprentices to record audio or video reflections instead. This way, you can reflect in whatever format works best for you.
This approach also mirrors what happens in real-life policing. Think about those informal debriefs after an incident, maybe on the drive back to the station or over a quick coffee with a colleague. You talk about what happened, what worked, and what you’d do differently next time. That’s reflection in action. We all do it! We’re all constantly processing, learning, and improving.
Dear Diary…
If the word “reflection” sounds a bit intimidating (or even a bit dull), try thinking of it as professional journaling. Journaling has well-known mental health benefits; it can reduce stress, improve emotional regulation, and help you make sense of tough experiences.
In policing, where officers regularly face high-pressure situations, reflective writing or recording can be a powerful way to build resilience. It helps you process what’s happened, spot patterns in your thinking, and strengthen your confidence and judgement. Over time, this kind of reflection can help you feel more grounded and capable, even in challenging situations.
Continuous Professional Development
Of course, all of this talk about reflections doesn’t just apply to your time as an apprentice. As you progress in your career, the reflective skills you have developed will be used again and again. Reflection for the purposes of continuous professional development (CPD) is something that will be expected from you throughout your career.
An example of this can be found in the College of Policing (2025) Resources for Reflective Practice where you are encouraged to use the reflective models of Gibbs (1988) and Kolb (1984) to reflect on the impact of your learning. In fact, if you search the web for ‘reflective practice in policing’ you will see that it is a value that is threaded throughout all career branches. Reflective practice is also supported and promoted by the IOPC and the Police Federation to foster a solution-based approach to complaint resolution.
Image generated using Microsoft Copilot
A Little Nudge
I couldn’t resist the temptation to use this opportunity to provide a gentle reminder from your tripartite team, PDU assessors, and tutors to upload your monthly reflections! Nothing inspires ‘professional growth’ like a friendly nudge (or three)! It might feel like nagging, but we promise it’s for a good reason. We want you to succeed and fly through your assessments to reach a point where critical thinking becomes intuitive. So, upload those reflections and let your future self thank you later!
For more information and resources on reflective practice for UWE Apprentices, check your programme Blackboard site, chat with your PDU Assessor, or drop the PCDA tripartite team a line at hss.policing@uwe.ac.uk
About the Author
Eve immigrated to the UK from New Zealand in 2004 and found her way to the South West in 2007 after 3 years in London. She has had a varied working background including recruitment, film, TV, theatre, hospitality and childcare, to name a few! She currently lives in a beach town with her partner, dog and two cats and likes to spend much of her spare time pottering in the garden and learning new skills with power tools.
Our final UWE Bristol Policing blog for 2025 is proudly written by PC 999 Elf, who enjoyed the experience so much last year, he was desperate to repeat it this year. PC Elf would like to help our readers find their inner Christmas spirit at what can be a challenging time of year for many people, including police officers, staff and all those who care for them, as well as the people in the communities they serve.
Hello everyone! It’s great to be back out in public again after 11 months confined to a back-office role (i.e. the office drawer!). I’m really keen to get back out in the community and see what’s been going on this past year.
Right, before getting back on active duty, I had to undergo my annual fitness test. Being a part of the Elf Constabulary has its quirks, I have to say. Not only do I have to pass the bleep test, but I also have to wrap an awkward-shaped present in less than 30 seconds. And my annual PDR includes being measured on whether my ‘elf on the shelf’ initiatives are improving children’s behaviour in the runup to Christmas, as well as a presentation about how to take an evidence-based approach to which mince pie is the best, which is very messy 😊. But it’s all in day’s work for me! Just have to make sure I don’t sample too many of those mince pies so that I can still finish the bleep test!
Speaking of bleep tests, police recruitment and education in the Avon and Somerset area has really stepped up a gear in 2025. While recruitment is slightly down nationally, round these parts 10 cohorts on various police constable entry routes have joined Avon and Somerset. Of course they receive their police education at UWE, and this really shows how important collaboration and community are to achieving success. Working together produces something special. The collaboration has been so successful that a new 10-year-contract between UWE and Avon & Somerset Police was signed this year, helping to ensure that the area continues to produce such a high-quality policing workforce. Policing students at UWE really go above and beyond. One policing student even participated in Project Zulu, helping to deliver lessons about safeguarding in schools to pupils in South Africa. With this kind of drive, those policing students are going to need all the chocolate and mince pies they can lay their hands on this Christmas!
Community, whether home or abroad, is a key Christmas theme and something which policing has embraced. 2025 saw the launch of the Neighbourhood Policing Guarantee in England and Wales. UWE is supporting this with the development of a special Neighbourhood route for degree holder police recruits. But it starts closer to home, with all of us and our local communities, both at home and at work. Policing @ UWE is incredibly proud that the policing team was recently Highly Commended by UWE’s Vice Chancellor for the commitment they’ve displayed to Equity, Diversity and Inclusion. Recognising everyone’s value and contribution is essential to social cohesion and healthy teams, including in the police. On the Elf squad, we have long known this – Christmas is a time when all mythical creatures must work together to get things done and ensure Santa is able to get his presents delivered across the world. Here I am with some of my fellow Christmas colleagues, the Gonks, who are responsible for protecting your homes (and letting Santa in if you don’t have a chimney).
We’ve all got our role to play to make sure Christmas runs smoothly and our communities remain as safe and happy as possible during this period. Spare a thought for the delivery drivers out there. Apparently Royal Mail delivered 188 million parcels over the Christmas period last year! That’s still not a patch on Santa, though, who delivers more than 500 million parcels in one night! (Siegel, 2021). This is why he needs those mince pies and cookies – it takes a lot of magical energy to keep that pace going. Anyway, coming back to teamwork, he couldn’t do it if it wasn’t for his army of elves and other magical creatures with their special skills, all working together in the background. It’s what you humans call multi-agency working.
Sadly, Christmas isn’t always full of cheer for everyone. This year Bristol reported the highest number of homeless people in the South West. The Charity Shelter report 4390 people in the city will be experiencing Christmas on the streets (Shepard, 2025). For others, the cost-of-living crisis is overwhelming, but help is on its way. Operation Community Hamper CIO has been putting together wonderful food hampers with help from UWE and some amazing volunteers, including one of our own, Senior Lecturer Dom McVeigh and his wonderful family.
Everyone can contribute something to make Christmas better. A small act of kindness can have as much of an impact on an individual as a big, bold corporate gesture. A hot drink or sausage roll for someone who is homeless can mean so much.
It is always a busy time for the emergency services, Avon and Somerset Police launched their annual Christmas drink and drug driving campaign earlier this month, making 62 arrests in the first week (Avon and Somerset, 2025). That’s on top of all the crimes they are investigating as normal, making for a busy workload. Some of the incidents my human colleagues deal with can be traumatic and we ask you to spare a thought for these unsung heroes just doing their daily jobs. Please, don’t drink/drug drive!
Here on the Elf squad, we’re trying to do our bit too. We might be famous for our sense of mischief and fun, but we’re also hard workers (we have to be to get all those presents ready for Santa). Me and some of my colleagues have been applying for different roles to help out, from squad van driver to motorcycle team and even the mounted (reindeer) division…
Well, things to do, elves to see…but from us to you, our serving police officers (and elves) and all Blue light services, we wish you all a very merry Christmas and a happy, healthy and safe New Year.
PC 999 Elf …
(Ably assisted and authored by Associate Directors Sarah Williams and Anne Eason).
With the festive season fast approaching, and those last-minute gift requests flying around, we thought why not publish a further edition of the UWE Policing Book Club…
Spoiler alert: this one is for the non-fiction fans!
Join Mike, Brian, Paul and Ian as they share a few of their top reads from this year. Whether you are planning to switch off over Christmas or are working in the vital services that keep everything running, we hope you find a moment to enjoy a great book.
Mike Griffiths recommends ‘Black Box Thinking’, by Matthew Syed.
Black box thinking is a concept popularised by Matthew Syed, which involves learning from mistakes and failures to improve future performance. I came upon this book some time ago and I was interested in the cross over between completely different aspects of commerce and industry, such as hospitals and the world of aviation. My interest stemmed from the fact that my father worked in the aircraft industry in the 1950s, a time of great innovation but at the same time, plenty of disasters, such as the D.H. Comet mark 4.
As I read it, I saw a direct relevance to modern day policing where mistakes can have serious consequences, including loss of public trust and safety issues. Black box thinking, would encourage police officers to analyse errors systematically, much like aviation industry investigators who analyse flight data after an incident. By examining what went wrong and why, police can identify patterns and underlying issues that need addressing. This process helps to prevent similar mistakes in the future, thereby improving overall effectiveness and reliability. Black box thinking aligns well with evidence-based policing, which uses data and research to inform practices and policies.
I think that if we introduced a more detailed examination of policing practices, as Matthew Syed suggests, we could greatly improve policing.
“When people don’t interrogate errors, they sometimes don’t even know they have made one (even if they suspect they may have).” – Matthew Syed
Brian Clifford recommends ‘The Forgotten Slave Trade’, by Simon Webb.
This book explores the slave trade starting with slavery in the ancient world and widens the reader’s knowledge of this subject across the world. A century before Britain became involved in the transatlantic slave trade it was involved in the wider slave trade. Some of what the reader will discover may challenge current thinking and understanding of this subject.
Most people are aware that Bristol was a major centre for the transatlantic slave trade in the eighteenth century but hardly anyone knows that 1000 years earlier it had been an important staging post in the slave trade of English slaves to Africa.
This book highlights how slavery cuts across all cultures, races and religions. This book will change the way you view the slave trade and show that many commonly held beliefs about this controversial subject are almost wholly inaccurate and mistaken.
This book does not seek to lessen the impact of this terrible trade. Instead, it highlights how widespread the practice has been and that virtually all parts of the world have both practiced and been affected by slavery.
I have sometimes struggled to find time to read but in recent years I have always enjoyed the learning and entertainment reading provides. More recently I have used the hour drive home from campus to listen to audiobooks. I find this a good way to unwind and reset after a busy day and make use of what may be considered unproductive time. While I enjoy a good thriller the opportunity to learn something new is always welcome. This book has done that.
Paul Williamson recommends ‘How to Strangle a Jelly’, by Les King.
How to Strangle a Jelly is a compelling and often humorous exploration of communication through the lens of a remarkable 50-year career spanning policing, probation and university lecturing. Les brings to life a wide range of experiences, from operational briefings and courtroom encounters to university lectures and wedding speeches, showing how the right words, delivered the right way, can inform, persuade, console, and even protect lives.
I had the privilege of working with Les earlier in my policing career, and I learned a great deal from his natural, people-centred style of communication. He had a remarkable ability to put people at ease, whether they were victims, colleagues, complainants or suspects. That same authenticity and calm confidence runs right through this book.
Now, as a Senior Lecturer and Programme Leader in Policing and Criminology, I see even more clearly the value of what Les models so well, communication that is grounded, purposeful, and human. One of my favourite moments in the book involves a lesson he learned on a sergeants’ course about the power of effective briefings—a reminder of how much thought and preparation goes into good leadership communication.
Key Takeaways
Communication is not just a technical skill—it’s an evolving, reflective practice.
People respond best to communicators who are authentic, emotionally intelligent, and adaptable.
Les’s blend of storytelling and practical models makes this book a great read for anyone working in policing, education, or public service.
It is often the everyday interactions, not just the high-pressure moments, that define your effectiveness as a communicator.
How to Strangle a Jelly is thoughtful, funny, sometimes sombre and profoundly practical. Whether you are a new policing recruit or decades in, there is something in this book for everyone who wants to connect more meaningfully with others.
Bonus chapters – Ian Lowe recommends…
If you like ‘Black Box Thinking’ by Matthew Syed, Ian Lowe also recommends ‘Outliers’ by Malcolm Gladwell and ‘Peak’ by Robert Pool & Anders Erricson.
I can’t help it; Sorry. I have to push the boundaries, bend the rules. Which might be why I like the above books.
I read them all reasonably close to each other. Each one in its own right is worthy of reading (see Anne Eason’s recommendation for Black Box Thinking). However, if you take the time to read all three, you gain a greater level of perspective on the subject matter.
For example: All three books discuss the now infamous, it takes 10000 hours of practice at anything to become an expert. Well Peak invented this rule, although it is actually. It takes 10000 hours of deliberate practice. Which is a very specific type of practice. Outliers simplified it and made it famous and that is how most of us have heard of it. Blackbox thinking applies it further and in new ways.
I suppose what I am saying is read. Our thoughts and ideas are made from the content that we consume, so make that content the best quality that we can.
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Senior Lecturer) & Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
In the final instalment of this blog series, we meet Trinni Dagger, a UWE Bristol Professional Policing Degree (PPD) student who has combined her studies with volunteering as a Special Constable with Avon and Somerset Police. From her first open evening at UWE to completing over 650 hours on response shifts, Trinni shares how the PPD has helped her build confidence, understand police powers in practice, and confirm that policing is the career for her.
Discovering the Professional Policing Degree
To join the police, you need a degree and when I attended a UWE open evening, this course was shown to me. Even when I was younger, I have always said that I wanted to be a police officer, so I was very keen to join. I wanted to do CID originally when I joined the degree because I thought I was too small be an officer but after specialling, I have come to the conclusion that I do in-fact want to be an officer.
This PPD course has helped with my understanding of offences and powers. It has also helped with my decision making on shift.
Gaining Experience through the Special Constabulary
I was made aware about the Special Constabulary by our Programme Leader Christian during the first year of university. This allowed us time to prepare to apply during the second year. I wanted to gain experience on shift (try before you buy) to make sure that this is what I really want to do. I also wanted to be able to put what I learnt at university into action.
In terms of the online National Sift, I found that this process is a little confusing in the way that it can fail you on your decisions of you as a person. I find that it’s a harsh way to stop people from applying due to not giving the answers they want when technically there shouldn’t be a right or wrong answer. My top tip is to take your time when answering and ensure that you definitely read the questions correctly.
The application process is straight forward as in they communicate the next steps and dates for things really well. The recruitment process is a LARGE commitment, from the interview, the training and after when you are on shift. I am very proud to be a Special and it is one of the best experiences. For the interview, they allow you 10 mins before to plan your answers to the questions (they also allow extra time/ coloured paper if you have any additional needs). The fitness test is more mind over matter, and you only have to run to 5.4 on the beep test. Try not to stress about it too much, you can redo it if needs be (same with the interview). The health screening was also simple, the drugs test is a small part of your hair cut, and your mouth swabbed. The hearing and sight test were over within minutes.
Training, Teamwork and Learning on the Job
The initial training provided by Avon and Somerset Police (ASP) is limited to only 6 weekends, so be prepared to feel as though you are not ready when you start but speak with your tutor and don’t be afraid to ask questions. If you are willing to get stuck in, then your team will have no complaints. The training I believe is now changing to 10 weekends. The training was great fun, and you make some very good connections with other people.
I trained along a wide range of people, some who had full time jobs and wanted to do something else alongside. Others had been officers before and wanted to come back without the shift pattens. Some didn’t have A levels so were using this as a way to be involved in policing and hopefully join full time after. Some worked in police departments and wanted to see another side of policing. Most people were doing it as a try before you buy. Some workplaces have signed up to allow paid time off to people who are specials, allowing them more opportunities to go on shift. There were no differences in motivation or background between me and other recruits, and everyone seemed just as motivated to be there. People were always willing to help one another when they got stuck. You grow some lovely bonds with people.
Applying Classroom Knowledge to Real Situations
The Professional Policing Degree has helped me with understanding our powers and offences. It gives you a foundation, but there is still so much to learn when you become an officer. The training provided by ASP for special’s is more practical, it teaches you ways to defend yourself, how to write reports, some of the offences and what powers officers have. Alongside uni you learn a lot, and I feel as though you really start learning on the job. Most areas you learn quick on the job, after doing it for some time you realise jobs are very similar in the sense of how you deal with it (questions asked/ actions taken) and it just changes with the situation. I found that I knew the caution very well when I started but I also felt initially overwhelmed. It’s not until you get to doing an actual job that you really start learning (I am a visual learner though).
Looking Ahead
When I graduate, I hope to join back to Patchway Team 4 Response, as I have grown a very good bond with my team (I have around 650 hours since the start of the year, I average around 4-6 shifts a set, a set is 6 shifts – so I’m in a lot). I have really enjoyed response despite how stressful the job is (the paperwork is also a lot). I’m hoping to get my independent patrol status before I join as I will then join on a higher pay bracket (I’m currently finishing tier 2, on tier 3, after tier 3 you get your independence). I can apply to join full-time in January as they go off predicted grades, but you have to graduate the same year.
For now, I wish to stay in response as I am very much enjoying it. I then think I want to join firearms. I don’t have much of an interest in traffic and CID is something I will investigate when I’m older. I enjoy going out on the initial jobs and I hope to keep developing as an officer and gain as many skills as I can. I really hope to get response and taser trained.
Advice for Future Applicants
If you are wanting to join the police or are not sure if you should this is defiantly something to consider. It’s an amazing opportunity and allows you to understand policing and put what you have learnt to good use. It also looks good on your CV and will allow your connections to be able to see what route you really wish to follow. If specialling seems too much, then I definitely recommend signing up for a ride along. This will allow you to see policing before you even apply to be a special. I do not regret my decision at all; it’s defiantly a big commitment but it has been worth it. I have seen myself grow as a person and I am very proud of some of the jobs I have done.
This role has also shown me how much the police actually deal with. Response officers not only go to the 999 calls, but they also carry case files that they need to progress with witness statements, interviews and more. It’s defiantly a hard going job with not only the job being demanding but the workload to. The number of officers does not meet the demand, so if police take longer to get to jobs than first thought its due to the this and officers being swept off their feet. It’s definitely a rewarding job and the bond you build with your team is very strong. There’s a lot more to policing then just officers in uniform driving around.
We would like to thank Trinni, Cece and Harvey for their honest and inspiring look at student life on the PPD at UWE Bristol during this series.
Anyone interested in applying for the PPD can find out more information here
If you are also interested in joining the Special Constabulary, you can find out more information here
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
In this second blog of our series spotlighting the experiences of students on UWE Bristol’s Professional Policing Degree (PPD), we share the journey of Cece Delaney-Melville. From discovering an interest in policing during her A-levels to balancing her studies with volunteering as a Special Constable with Avon and Somerset Police, Cece offers a personal insight into the challenges, rewards, and opportunities of taking this path. Over to Cece…
Introduction to Policing
In A-levels I studied criminology, psychology, and law, this is what sparked my interest within policing.
I did not always know that I wanted to pursue a career in policing. My father was a firefighter, which first inspired my interest in a role that involved helping others, although I knew that path was not the right one for me. My interest in policing developed further once I began my studies, as I gained a deeper understanding of the various aspects of the role and the many ways in which officers support the community. Additionally, the variety and unpredictability of each day in policing have only strengthened my passion for pursuing this career. It has widened my knowledge to the different thing policing is involved in and the many roles there are within policing.
Discovering the Special Constabulary
I was not aware of this opportunity at the start. Our Programme Leader Christian informed me within the first week of the PPD and highlighted the benefits of joining as a Special Constable. After learning more about it, I was immediately keen to apply.
What motivated me was the valuable experience I would gain and how this would complement my degree. Becoming a Special Constable allows me to apply the knowledge from my studies to real-life situations, as well as bring practical insights from policing back into my academic work. It also provides me with invaluable first-hand experience of the role, giving me a clear understanding of what to expect when I join the police full time.
Application and Recruitment Process
In relation to the UK National Sift process, I found this stage straightforward, it was easy to do, and you just answer the questions as you believe.
The online application was straightforward. However, the interview was slightly stressful, but this is normal like any other interview you go to you would be nervous. You are given a range of questions and topics you will discuss within the interview prior to the day. The best thing you can do is answer the questions as you would in the interviews and memorise your answers. On the day of the interview, you will be given 10-15 minutes to write down any notes you have on flashcards to jog your memory. For the health screening you will be asked to attend the HQ where they will take your fingerprints a hair sample to test for drugs and you will be weighed, measured and asked basic health questions. Additionally, you will do a hearing and an eye test. The ladies who did my health screening for me where lovely and helpful so do not worry! And finally, the bleep test! I was nervous about this due to the fact it was a pass or fail assessment however it is only 3.7, which is basically a light jog!
Training Experience
My training cohort had 16 people, and these weekends were really fun and informative. The training stretched across 7 weekends. The first was an introduction weekend where you received your uniform and laptop making it feel all a bit more real. Then the rest of the weekends were grouped into learning the National Decision Model (NDM) and values of the force, legislation, first aid, policing roads, and PPST which is where you get to use your batons and learn take downs and other tactics. This is a really fun weekend, and I recommended you book to stay at the HQ! Then finally your graduation weekend!
The people I trained with were from many walks of life. I was one of the youngest and the only university student. However, other people had full time jobs such as a neuroscientist, comms operators, BT workers, paramedics and lots more.
There were different motivators for everyone. Some did it as they always wanted to be an officer but their career took them elsewhere so this was something they could do alongside working, however a lot of people used the specials as a stepping stone to join the police full time.
Support from the PPD Degree
The PPD has helped me a lot with being a special. The biggest thing is helping me understand the people I meet out on duty, the theories you will learn in this degree are extremely relevant.
The training provided by the force is short and sweet and you may feel like you’re not really ready to go out and start policing (I know I did) but that’s where the degree will help you. The in-depth discussions and teaching that is provided at university will help you feel more confident.
First Shifts and Challenges
I did not feel prepared on my first shift, and this is completely normal! You are doing something you’ve never done before. However, I feel as though I am quite a sociable person so felt like I would be prepared to speak with members of the public although I do not think anything will prepare you for your first rude or quite aggressive encounters you can have with the members of the public and how you deal with those in a professional manner. You must remember that sometimes you will deal with people who are having the worst day of their lives, and you must show a level of respect and empathy towards them even if they have not been pleasant to you.
Future Career Aspirations
I plan to do some travelling once I leave university and then join Hampshire Constabulary as its closer to home for me and therefore also me to save some money for the future. However, in the future I would like to transfer back to Avon and Somerset.
I am open to specialise in a particular area although not sure what yet. However, I am really enjoying being a response officer at the moment. In the police you also have the opportunity to do attachments with specific areas within the force. This is good as you can almost try before you buy. I am hoping to become a full-time officer.
Advice for Future Specials
My advice would be to do it!
You are only required to do 16 hours a month which isn’t a lot and trust me you will want to do more than this anyway! They are extremely flexible for students who go home for university, as long as you make up the minimum hours within the year it doesn’t matter. It can be quite a daunting experience and quite long winded through the application stages but as soon as you start you will love it. Additionally, there is such a big support system, and if you are struggling or need help with anything there a people there to help you! I smashed my phone on the first day of training and I had a new one the next week so don’t worry about anything.
The regulars welcome Special’s with open arms as they need every set of hands they can get so don’t be worried about that. And don’t worry if you make a mistake because YOU WILL and that’s okay, everyone is understanding and will help you every step of the way.
I have honestly gained a huge respect for the police and what they do, it can be an incredibly stressful and risky job at times but is extremely rewarding. They do so much and are there to help everyone.
We look forward to further insights from Trinni Dagger in the final blog of this series.
Anyone interested in applying for the PPD can find out more information here
If you are also interested in joining the Special Constabulary, you can find out more information here
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
Reflecting the diversity of the Policing Programmes on offer at UWE Bristol, in this new blog series we will hear from three professional policing students who have recently entered the final year of their degree programme. They reflect on their experiences studying on the Professional Policing Degree (PPD) and share their journeys through the successful application process to become Special Constables with Avon and Somerset Police (ASP).
They discuss what inspired them to join the PPD and take on the role of Special Constables, offering insights into each stage of the application process, from the online National Sift questionnaire to the medical assessments, fitness tests, vetting procedures, and the initial training delivered by ASP.
The students were also invited to compare their university education with the practical training provided by the force, exploring the relationship between academic theory and real-world policing practice. Finally, they share their individual reflections, and career aspirations for the future.
This blog series offers a personal and informative look into the student experience on the PPD and highlights the graduate outcomes that can emerge from the programme.
In this first of the series we hear from Harvey Rogers
Ever since I was young, I have always had an interest in the police and believe that there is no job better in the world. As soon as I found out there was a Professional Policing Degree Programme (PPD), there was no looking back. All throughout my childhood I have always wanted to join the firearms unit in the police and choosing the PPD programme was the first step to achieving that dream. The academic side of the course has been brilliant with helping my understanding of the police and when I am out responding to 999 calls as a Special Constable.
When I started my first year on the PPD course I didn’t even know the Special Constabulary existed! As soon as I found out I could do it alongside my academic learning at UWE I thought it would be a no brainer. I was being told stories about other people’s experiences with the Specials by others on the PPD course and thought it sounded amazing. When applying, one of the first stages to complete is the UK National Sift Process, which involves a Situational Judgement Test (SJT) and Behaviour Style Questions (BSQ), and is designed to assess whether applicants possess the core values and competencies required for policing. This stage was quite straightforward as the aim is to be as trueful to yourself as possible and to see whether you would be a great fit for the police.
After we completed this stage, we had a familiarisation event at Bridgwater Police Centre about the role we have applied for and what we can expect to happen next in the application process. We then had an interview with two police officers a few weeks after which were based on the core values of the police and examples of when we used the National Decision Model (NDM) and our real-life experiences. In my interview I mentioned that I was studying on the PPD programme, and they were really pleased to see young people having an interest in joining the police and agreed that doing it alongside my studies was a great idea. I then heard that I had passed my interview which then led me on to my health screening appointment, which is where I had my fingerprints taken, hair samples for drug testing and a few questions from the nurse at Occupational Health about my health and wellbeing. I then got invited to complete the bleep test which at the time was 5.2 but has now been decreased to 3.7. This was to test officer’s fitness levels which is a key part of the role when joining the police. After I had completed this, my application process had finished, and I was now ready to undertake my training.
The training was split up into 6 weekends (Saturday and Sunday every fortnight) which has now been increased up to 10 weekends. During our time at training school, we learnt key legislation in the classroom, Personal Protective Safety training (PPST) which is where we learn how to apply handcuffs, ASP and PAVA (pepper spray) correctly. We also had weekends where we were learning how to use all of our other kit such as airwave (radio), body worn camera and the key systems on our force laptop and phones and plenty of scenarios where we had to use our powers correctly which we had learnt over the 6 modules. A lot of this comes second nature to students on the PPD course which is brilliant as it also refreshed my memory with a lot of other key legislation.
Training school was great fun with a few evenings out to the pub as well as also practicing techniques we had learnt on our PPST weekends. Personally, my group was an amazing group and felt like a with very like-minded people who also had interests in joining the police alongside their full-time jobs. It was a great mix of students and young adults who were doing it alongside their university courses and their full-time jobs. Everyone had the same motivation to go out there and help protect the public and to improve the relationship between the public and the police with normal working people to help bridge the gap between.
The PPD programme has definitely given me a strong foundation for my role as a Special Constable especially if you want to get a feel for real life policing before applying to become a full-time police officer. The quality and depth of the university education and the in-force training by Avon and Somerset Police were both amazing, including many links to the College of Policing. I felt well prepared when talking around areas of stop and search and the powers involved as well as the custody process when taking a prisoner after they have been arrested. There are many areas where you learn quickly on the job which also can be the best times to learn as these were able to stick in my head.
Now I am going into my final year of the PPD I am looking at applying to become a full-time police officer in Avon and Somerset and have many areas of interest where I would like to specialise in such as Armed Response Unit or any of the Special Ops teams. Over the next few years, I would like to get to grounds with the job role and get as much experience as I can out on the front line before I look to specialise or go for a promotion as a sergeant.
My advice for other PPD students would be to sign up to become a Special Constable I feel like it was such a good decision to actually see whether I would actually like the job before I go full-time and feel it’s such a good way to try before you buy type of thing. It is also great for remembering legislation for uni assignments and being able to put real life scenarios down on paper. The experience of becoming a Special Constable has only made my desire to join the police even higher!
Our thanks to Harvey and we look forward to blogging further insights from Cece Delaney-Melville in the next of this series.
Anyone interested in applying for the PPD at UWE Bristol can find out more information here
If you are also interested in joining the Special Constabulary, you can find out more information here
Editorial Team
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
Police officers are routinely exposed to trauma and pressure, but as this latest UWE Policing blog by Dr Paul Gavin and Dr Cody Porter makes clear, it is the organisational stressors that are doing the deepest harm. We are grateful for their new research insights that highlight a workforce struggling with burnout, secondary trauma and continued stigma around seeking help. Their findings make for uncomfortable reading, and emphasise that wellbeing cannot be a tick box exercise and must be led with genuine focus from the top. Over to Paul and Cody…
The Fraying Thin Blue Line: The Mental Health Struggles of Police Officers in the UK and Ireland
Police officers encounter a wide range of occupational stressors on a daily basis, and this is having a damaging effect on their mental health. In recent years, an increasing number of police officers have been signed off work due to declining mental health. Research by Dr Paul Gavin and Dr Cody Porter at UWE Bristol has examined the mental health of police officers throughout the UK and in Ireland. This blog piece shares some of their findings. The message is clear: police officers on both sides of the Irish Sea are struggling with their mental health, and while the causes are familiar, the solutions require cultural and structural change within policing.
To put it bluntly, being a police officer is a stressful job. It means that you are at risk of encountering violence, trauma, and high-pressure situations on an almost daily basis. These are what we refer to as operational stressors – they relate to the day-to-day nature of policing, and they can have a serious impact on the mental health of police officers. In fact, it is estimated that a police officer will encounter between 400 to 600 traumatic incidents during an average career, compared with the three to four traumatic events typically thought to be experienced by the public. However, many police officers view these operational stressors as part of the job, and therefore, they can often cope with and manage the stress that comes with them. Organisational stressors are another matter. These are often related to the administrative nature of police work and include excessive workload, poor pay and conditions, a culture of bullying and sexism, a poor working environment and a lack of a work / life balance. These organisational stressors are often much more damaging to the mental health of police officers than the operational stressors they experience.
Findings from this research
54 police officers from the UK (but the vast majority were from England and Wales) and 98 police officers from the Republic of Ireland took part in the survey took part in an online survey to investigate police perceptions of mental health.
Participants revealed that police officers were struggling under the weight and pressures of their job. Exposure to violence and trauma were listed throughout the responses, with many participants writing that they were suffering from some form of PTSD. They described being ‘devoid of emotion’ and being ‘desensitized to most things that most people would find shocking’. Secondary trauma was described as having an impact on mental health, with one participant writing that they had to ‘relive other victims’ pain and hearing accounts given by victims of the most horrific crimes in great detail every day’.
Participants were also impacted by a lack of support and appreciation from senior managers, a poor work/life balance, an ever-increasing workload and a culture of bullying. One participant wrote that being a police officer was a job where ‘you are just expected to get on with it and are expected to know everything even if it’s not something you have dealt with before’. Several referred to feeling burned out, with one writing ‘I am running completely on empty’. Those who stood up to bullying and harassment in the workplace were subsequently isolated and unsupported by their managers.
Although support is available to police officers through Employee Assistance Programmes, many viewed these as nothing more than a ‘box-ticking exercise’. There is also a substantial stigma associated with seeking help for one’s mental health, One participant wrote that ‘there is a level of stigma attached to asking for help within the police which may stop people getting the help they need’. For those who do seek help, this may negatively impact their relationships with colleagues and on their career. On this issue one participant wrote that‘Showing any signs of weakness has an effect on how your team view you. They may not want to be crewed with you if you’re honest about the way you feel as they don’t see you as competent’.
Members of An Garda Siochana (the Irish police force) reported a similar experience in terms of exposure to violence and traumatic events, with participants describing the psychological impact of such exposure as both ‘significant’ and ‘huge’.. There was also a very human cost to such traumatic exposure, and this was deeply felt by participants with one writing that ‘I can still hear the screams of that mother. I see her face in my dreams’.
Participants, regardless of their age, gender, rank, or length of service, claimed that bullying was rife within the organisation and that management provided very little support in such cases. There was also a perceived lack of managerial support when it came to excessive workload. Participants explained how these issues resulted in their feeling stressed, that work was becoming overwhelming and that they were now drowning in paperwork. Overall, this has had a negative impact on police morale, with one writing that ‘Morale is as low as it can get. Staff are leaving in their droves. They don’t feel valued. They are overworked. There are not enough officers. Everyone is exhausted’.
Irish police officers reported barriers to seeking support, including stigma within the organisation and the potentially negative impact that it could have on their career. For instance, one participant wrote that mental health was ‘a taboo subject due to the nature of the job, a sense of ‘that’s what you signed up for so get on with it’ due to years of this being the norm’, Another wrote that the career impact of seeking support for ones mental health ranged ‘being held back in your career’ to your career coming to ‘a dead end’.
What needs to change?
The findings of this research shows that police officers are working under immense pressure and that this is having a negative impact on their mental health. Operational stressors are an unavoidable part of the policing role, and exposure to violence and trauma in policing are parts of the job that will not change. Organisational stressors, such as poor managerial support, excessive workloads, and toxic workplace cultures, are what are proving most damaging. The impacts of these stressors are clear and are damaging to policing: low morale, burnout, and a workforce reluctant to seek help for fear of stigma or career repercussions.
If policing is to remain effective and sustainable, this culture must change. Support must be more than a box-ticking exercise. It needs to be embedded in everyday practice, led from the top, and genuinely focused on officer wellbeing. That means having open conversations about mental health, robust protections against workplace bullying, and systems that encourage – not punish – help-seeking. The work is challenging and will require both cultural and structural change within policing. Without such change, the cost will continue to be borne not only by the officers themselves, but also by the communities they serve.
Editorial Team
The team are grateful to Dr Gavin and Dr Porter for bringing these voices to the fore, and for prompting further debate that the profession urgently needs to have.
Paul Williamson (Editor-in-Chief); Claudia McCready (Lecturer); Claire Bowers (Senior Lecturer); Eve Smietanko (Joint Programme Leader & Senior Lecturer) and Ian Lowe (Senior Lecturer).
