The education of Police officers in England and Wales

Abstract

This work will first seek to sketch in the forces and circumstances which have led to the evolution of today's police officer and the force he serves in. It will deal principally with the vicissitudes of the ancient office of constable and with the movement, particularly over the last century-and-a-half, from small, local forces to larger, regional ones, all part of a unified and centrally guided service. It will then examine the means by which cadets and constables are recruited, examined and trained, and how they are refreshed and prepared for specialized duties later in their careers. The next section will study the means by which the middle echelons of the command structure, populated by sergeants and inspectors, are filled, and will continue with the problem of selecting and training those officers from these ranks who will rise to command. At this level, for the first time perhaps, education begins to take precedence over the training which has earlier been so important a part of a police officer's career. The final part of the survey will attempt to assess the changing role of the police officer in modern society and how he can be educated (in the fullest sense of the word) to fulfil this role to the greatest effect.