PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT
Dr John Coxhead, Professor of Policing Practice at Loughborough University shares his views on policing skills and the importance gaining professional skills
POLICING SKILLS FOR THE FUTURE
London, August 3rd 2019. Officers running to form a line across a street in London to prevent Tommy Robinson supporters and anti-facist
demonstrators clashing Photo – Shutterstock
Policing is a dynamic profession which has to manage complex challenges whilst under real-time scrutiny and trial by media. Policing has tight budgets yet often is still called upon to fill the vacuum left by other agencies. All that pressure upon policing adds up to a profession that really is like no other – yet paid £19,164 at entry level. That makes you wonder whilst there are many demands on policing (too many to list) is it actually valued? Policing needs real leadership to move
forward in this difficult situation and too often the rank and file, represented by the Police Federation, is not listened to enough: which makes no sense as those who do the job know what is needed.
POLICING IS A CRAFT OF KNOWLEDGE-INFORMED SKILLS Policing is a craft that is full of skills, and
30 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2024
having a skill is not just about what you know but what you do with it. That is just the same for vet or a GP, interacting with cases, working out what’s needed and being able to do something there and then. Whilst
“Policing experience really does matter and to argue that a new graduate is somehow superior to someone who had done the job for several years is both insulting and inaccurate.”
knowledge is vital what matters most is the ability to do something with it, which is why policing is not a theoretical profession: policing is hands on. Too many times, academic approaches have snobbishly placed the value of theory over operational ability and that really does need calling out as simply daft. Of course, there must be a blend but that means there should be a common-sense
way of cutting through unnecessarily complications. Policing experience really does matter and to argue that a new graduate is somehow superior to someone who had done the job for several years is both insulting and inaccurate. But rather than having a civil
war amongst ourselves, what we need is some common sense balance here: to bring in new talent but also accredit existing skills so everyone is valued and rewarded for what they know and what they can do.
LIFELONG LEARNING CULTURE There are ways in which this can be done – through a lifelong learning culture which values coaching, debriefing and practical know how. Life-long learning skills need embedding during initial training to equip officers to be able to think on their feet and exercise professional judgement, often in complex and pressurised situations. But lifelong learning means
Page 1 |
Page 2 |
Page 3 |
Page 4 |
Page 5 |
Page 6 |
Page 7 |
Page 8 |
Page 9 |
Page 10 |
Page 11 |
Page 12 |
Page 13 |
Page 14 |
Page 15 |
Page 16 |
Page 17 |
Page 18 |
Page 19 |
Page 20 |
Page 21 |
Page 22 |
Page 23 |
Page 24 |
Page 25 |
Page 26 |
Page 27 |
Page 28 |
Page 29 |
Page 30 |
Page 31 |
Page 32 |
Page 33 |
Page 34 |
Page 35 |
Page 36 |
Page 37 |
Page 38 |
Page 39 |
Page 40 |
Page 41 |
Page 42 |
Page 43 |
Page 44 |
Page 45 |
Page 46 |
Page 47 |
Page 48
