A degree of common sense .....
Thread Starter
Join Date: Apr 2010
Location: Geordieland
Age: 78
Posts: 87
A degree of common sense .....
I heard on the news this morning that a decision has been made to make a degree a requirement for joining the police. Whether this applies to the whole of the UK I don’t know, but unless there are plans for a degree in Common Sense, then this strikes me as being a retrograde step. The reason given is that policing is becoming more and more technical. One wonders however, how the possession of a degree helps in an armed response or providing understanding and support to the victim of a crime. There is a danger here that the thin blue line will lose many potentially excellent coppers if/when this is implemented.
Join Date: Apr 2004
Location: Richard Burtonville, South Wales.
Posts: 2,147
There are so few (and there will be fewer) coppers these days, they may as well make it a grad job as a weeding exercise. Plus, about 50% of the population will have one soon anyway. AND... if you give em a job, you get the loan paid back. Silver linings.
CG
CG
Join Date: Aug 2006
Location: Lemonia. Best Greek in the world
Posts: 1,733
Something for those with degrees in Meeja studies to do?
Or maybe all those graduates from London Met Uni? (Otherwise known as North London Poly, Marxist's Socialist Training Section)
Or maybe all those graduates from London Met Uni? (Otherwise known as North London Poly, Marxist's Socialist Training Section)
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Clarty Waters, UK
Age: 56
Posts: 906
Pretty soon the requirement will be for first class honours:
'Grade inflation' means 80% more top degree grades
'Grade inflation' means 80% more top degree grades
Join Date: Feb 2006
Location: Hanging off the end of a thread
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Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Age: 53
Posts: 1,504
It's not that a degree is required to join.
New recruits are put through a three year course in conjunction with a university (much like nurses)
At the end they come out with a degree in policing.
Not a bad deal really. I don't know what option there is for honours though.
New recruits are put through a three year course in conjunction with a university (much like nurses)
At the end they come out with a degree in policing.
Not a bad deal really. I don't know what option there is for honours though.
Join Date: Nov 2009
Location: Dreamland
Posts: 578
It's not that a degree is required to join.
New recruits are put through a three year course in conjunction with a university (much like nurses)
At the end they come out with a degree in policing.
Not a bad deal really. I don't know what option there is for honours though.
New recruits are put through a three year course in conjunction with a university (much like nurses)
At the end they come out with a degree in policing.
Not a bad deal really. I don't know what option there is for honours though.
Personally I think being a good copper is more about 'reading' people, not books.
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Age: 53
Posts: 1,504
You're right of course, all the education in the world won't help at 3am trying to talk a teenager into putting the knife they've been self harming with down.
The unique job that is Policing. CPR on an elderly man one minute, dispute over Facebook the next.
Join Date: Jul 2002
Location: Canberra
Posts: 226
I think it would be a rare profession where formal post-school education would not improve early year job performance.
At universities I was involved with, a degree was usually ‘valued’ at around 10 years equivalent work experience.
At the same time, some of the best people I worked had few formal qualifications while a couple of the worst I worked with had PhDs
The bottom line though is that for the professions I had involvement with, a degree raised the capability of the average of all employees by quite a margin
At universities I was involved with, a degree was usually ‘valued’ at around 10 years equivalent work experience.
At the same time, some of the best people I worked had few formal qualifications while a couple of the worst I worked with had PhDs
The bottom line though is that for the professions I had involvement with, a degree raised the capability of the average of all employees by quite a margin
I don't own this space under my name. I should have leased it while I still could
Join Date: Dec 2002
Location: Lincolnshire
Age: 79
Posts: 16,756
But an aspiration for graduate police does not imply no non-graduates immediately.
I was told a couple of years ago that PCSOs had been permitted additional powers, powers that could then be authorised by chief constables. Many police recruits have previously been PCSO.
Join Date: Mar 2009
Location: SW England
Age: 75
Posts: 3,874
When I was doing my degree at Exeter in the 90s I made friends with a chap who was an inspector in the Met. He was given three years away from his duties to do a degree (history and politics in his case). It was thought only fair to give the opportunity to do a degree to coppers who had come up the hard way through the ranks, as opposed to those on the then fast-track graduate scheme. Whereas the rest of us were skint living on grants (remember them?) he was not only drawing full salary but getting extra money to pay for his accommodation and a "plain clothes" allowance to keep him in jeans and trainers. He was single and had a succession of girlfriends who I suspect were attracted to the idea of a meal out consisting of something more than a MacDonalds!
Cunning Artificer
Join Date: Jun 2001
Location: The spiritual home of DeHavilland
Age: 74
Posts: 3,127
Once upon a time the qualifications for being a policemen was a minimum height of 5 feet 10 inches and built like a brick outhouse. In those days policemen were respected. Now they're often short and fat and our young snowflake society regards them with derision.
I should mention that they were mostly very "street-wise" and seemed to know their "beat" inside out.
I should mention that they were mostly very "street-wise" and seemed to know their "beat" inside out.
Join Date: Jan 2001
Location: Clarty Waters, UK
Age: 56
Posts: 906
Join Date: Jul 2010
Location: Newcastle Upon Tyne
Age: 53
Posts: 1,504
I should mention that they were mostly very "street-wise" and seemed to know their "beat" inside out.
The days of walking the beat cuffing scoundrels round the ear are long gone.
Join Date: Jan 2008
Location: Bolton ENGLAND
Age: 77
Posts: 987
Mores the pity...........!!! The Police are becoming ever more detached from the people they are there to police. This is just a further step along the way....
Last edited by Planemike; 13th Jul 2019 at 08:03.