Police 'pride' at graduation of new officers

LJMU’s Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing Studies (LCAPS) joined students and their families in celebrating a new first in the training of police officers in England and Wales.

Around 100 men and women graduated from the first LJMU Graduate Diploma in Professional Policing Practice with Police Now.

Police Now is an independent, not-for-profit organisation that works in partnership with police forces to recruit, train and develop officers across its three core programmes. The charity has partnered with 36 police forces across England and Wales.  

Graduands achieved their Diplomas after two years of hard work training and learning on the job and online.

The course, designed in conjunction with Police Now, focusses on the skills, behaviours and knowledge required to be effective community police officers and problem solvers. LJMU delivered modules covering everything from the values behind wanting to become a police officer, through understanding the victim experience, to knowing how to set up, run and evaluate a community problem-solving initiative.

Garry Shewan, programme lead for Police Now and senior lecturer at LCAPS thanked the graduands for their care and attention to their duties as police officers and students and reaffirmed the importance of values and ethical policing. Professor Daniel Silverstone, Director of the School of Justice Studies at LJMU, also attended.

He said the ceremony at Kensington Town Hall was a celebration of graduate achievements and of the partnership between Police Now and LJMU.

They were also thanked by Kurtis Christoforides, CEO of Police Now, and guest of honour Chief Constable Craig Guilford of West Midlands Police.

LJMU and Police Now continue their partnership with another cohort of neighbourhood police officers, and two cohorts on Police Now’s National Detective Programme.

Outstanding students included award-winners: - Lucy Dowd (top mark), Elizabeth Hanley (impact), Caitlin Neal (excellence through learning) and Katie McCormack (grit). Alumni awards went to: - Matthew Cooper for ‘transformative innovation’ and Shaireen Khan and Juliet Taylor for ‘brilliant community problem-solving’.