Program Overview

BA (Hons) Professional Policing

Why study this course with LJMU?

• Licensed by The College of Policing, the professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) for Policing
• The programme covers wide-ranging areas of law, social science, policy and research skills essential to a policing career
• You will be taught by lecturers and practitioner academics, who are former serving officers of all ranks and roles, from Constable to Chief Constable
• Field trips include Merseyside Firearms Training Centre and the Emergency Services Training Centre as part of your core modules
• Opportunities to volunteer as a Special Constable in Merseyside Police and other local forces
• Guest lecturers include speakers from the National Crime Agency and operational input from Merseyside Police - which includes stop & search scenarios with serving officers
• Final research project allows students to collect their own data to explore specific issues relevant for Merseyside police

About your course

This degree aims to make you an attractive recruitment option for police constabularies in England and Wales. A BA (Hons) Professional Policing is the defined pre-join qualification for a career in policing.

It gives graduates a solid foundation and a head start from which to embark upon their careers when they are appointed to a police force. The programme covers all academic and theoretical elements of the College of Policing initial curriculum. Therefore, once appointed to a police force graduates require only minimal practical training and orientation in their chosen police force.

You will have the opportunity to combine your studies with service by volunteering as a Special Constable, which enables you to achieve many of the practical initial operational requirements, which links back to your academic studies.

Each student is allocated a personal tutor whose role is to offer general advice, guidance and support regarding the broader aspects of your studies and university life in general.

You will be taught at Mount Pleasant Campus in the Liverpool Centre for Advanced Policing, a pioneering research centre for interdisciplinary law enforcement, and is licensed by the College of Policing to deliver degree programmes.

Course modules

Year 1

• Introduction to Policing (20 credits)
  • Examine the history and development of the British policing model and the underpinning features and philosophy.
  • Examine the modern policing and wider law enforcement landscape, the organisations and bodies that comprise it, what each does and how they interact.
  • Develop an understanding of the role and position of the police in contemporary society and the nature of the relationship with the community they serve.
• Academic and Policing Studies Skills (20 credits)
  • Provide the necessary knowledge needed to enable you to demonstrate a structured approach to studying, writing essays and referencing content.
• Criminal Law, Practice and Procedure (20 credits)
  • Provide the knowledge and understanding of legislation and police powers in relation to a range of typical policing incidents.
  • Enable you to apply such knowledge to a range of specified circumstances and incidents.
• Policing Standards, Governance and Accountability (20 credits)
  • Consider what is meant by professional standards and how the apply to police officers and the police service.
  • Examine the governance and accountability of police officers and the police service generally.
  • Compare the professional standard requirements within the police service to those of similar professional organisations.

Year 2

• Research methods (20 credits)
  • Evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of research methodologies and approaches, demonstrating effective referencing, applied to a range of theories and practices and associated with communication.
  • Gain knowledge and understanding of quantitative and qualitative research techniques and their appropriate use.
• Victimology (20 credits)
  • Define what is meant by vulnerability and familiarise you with the complex nature of vulnerability, whilst providing an understanding of how situational and environmental factors, combined with personal vulnerabilities, may result in a person becoming a victim and/or perpetrator.
  • Explore how the effective use of training, knowledge and skills can assist in supporting those who are vulnerable and why it is necessary to use a safeguarding approach to those who are vulnerable.
• Policing communities (20 credits)
  • Develop the knowledge and understanding of policing in a Community Policing context.
  • Develop existing knowledge of policing strategies and develop this further.

Year 3

• Research project (40 credits)
  • Ensure that you have the knowledge, understanding and skills to conduct research into more complex issues within the context of a policing related topic.
  • Provide the opportunity to develop an ethically sound research question and to develop appropriate research methods to justify your choice.
• Career and employability (20 credits)
  • Consolidate the academic and transferable skills acquired throughout the programme with a view to preparing students for the work environment.
  • Developing a compelling onward plan.
• Conducting investigations (30 credits)
  • Develop knowledge and understanding of the investigative process in a range of operational contexts.
  • Develop practical solutions to provide effective policing methods in this area whilst furthering your own competence within the pathway.

Professional accreditation

The College of Policing, the professional Statutory and Regulatory Body (PSRB) for policing, has licensed LJMU to run this degree as an entry level professional degree.

Your Learning Experience

• Teaching: Academic staff and practitioner academics, who are former serving officers of all ranks and roles, from Constable to Chief Constable.
• Support: Student mentoring scheme, wider School of Justice Studies Mentoring Programme.
• Facilities: Crime Scene Suites on campus, Emergency Training Centre in Birkenhead.

Career paths

Graduates find themselves working a variety of policing roles, such as operational officers, police staff, or wider law enforcement agencies.

Employability is a core module of the degree, where in your final year you will be encouraged and supported to consider your career path in policing.

For graduates who wish to apply for police constable roles in England and Wales, need to do so within five years of graduating. Achieving this degree is a requirement but does not guarantee appointment to a police force. Recruitment and appointment is subject to the relevant regulations and requirements of police recruitment and selection processes.

Tuition fees and funding

• Home: £9,535 per year
• International: £17,750 per year

Entry requirements

• GCSEs: Grade 4 or grade C or above in English Language and Mathematics/Numeracy
• A levels: BCC-BBB
• BTECs: Extended Diploma: DMM
• International Baccalaureate: Acceptable on its own and combined with other qualifications
• IELTS: 6.0 overall with no component below 5.5

How to apply

• UCAS is the official application route for our full-time undergraduate courses.
• Further information on the UCAS application process can be found here.