Educating the recruited and recruiting the educated: Can the new Police Education Qualifications Framework in England and Wales succeed where others have faltered

Abstract

The complex and changing nature of policing and police work have become firmly embedded in police studies discourse, and reflected in ongoing discussion about contemporary police training and education programmes. Although much public policy debate on the desirability and necessity of higher education qualifications for police officers in England and Wales has intensified of late, the programmes themselves have consistently stalled when faced with challenge. This article provides some historical background to initial police training in England and Wales, and reflects on the College of Policing’s announcement of the new Police Education Qualifications Framework and accompanying entry routes into policing. The article presents a case for grounding initial police training within a university context, but with several key caveats identified towards the end of the article.