BSc(Hons) Professional Policing (with Foundation Year)

This module will help you understand the expectations of higher education and develop the academic skills needed for your chosen social science pathway. Indicative content will include researching, organising and presenting ideas for essays, reports and case studies, alongside academic style, referencing and avoiding plagiarism. You'll develop reading, note-making, summarising, analysis and evaluation skills, and learn how to locate reliable books and journal articles. Planning, time management, reflection, oral presentation, examination preparation, academic use of information technology and collaborative teamwork will build your confidence as an independent learner.

This module will introduce you to key issues and theoretical approaches spanning sociology and criminology. Indicative topics will include identity and culture in social life, digital media and online cultures, education, social exclusion and inequality. You'll examine crime, deviance and social problems in relation to class, gender and ethnicity, alongside social, cultural and legal understandings of crime. The module will also provide opportunities to explore the profiling of dangerous and risky offenders and criminal justice institutions, helping you develop your understanding of the social world through social science ideas and research.

Through philosophy and political science, this module will introduce tools for understanding the contemporary world. You'll explore foundations of Western philosophical thought through classical texts, considering knowledge, being, the self, ethics, justice, education, beauty, politics and the state. The module will also examine the contemporary political and international order, including states and the international system. Themes such as climate change, terrorism, poverty, war and peace, culture, religion and security will help you reflect on connections between philosophical concepts, real political systems and current societal issues.

This module will introduce psychological research, theories and models alongside key topics in policing. It will typically include perspectives in psychology and selected themes from developmental, cognitive, social, humanistic and differential psychology. You'll also explore principles of investigative practice, community policing, contemporary challenges and evidence-based policing. Through these connected areas, you'll develop critical thinking and ethical approaches to building an evidence base. Group work and guided activities will strengthen your academic reading and writing, information searching, presentation software skills, planning, time management and collaboration.

In this module, you'll explore the legislation and policy governing police powers and how these can be used lawfully to prevent and detect crime. The National Decision Model will support your understanding of discretion, ethics, recording, accountability and the justification of decisions. You'll examine links between legislation, Authorised Professional Practice and the Code of Ethics, alongside informal options that may avoid unnecessary criminal justice involvement. Key policing functions will include response policing, roads policing, custody, public order, and stop and search powers, policies and guidance.

This module will explore equality, diversity, inclusion and ethics in policing, both within the workplace and in public service. You'll examine the Equality Act 2010, human rights, protected characteristics and the policing Code of Ethics, considering how these frameworks can challenge bias and discrimination. Historical and recent cases will help you evaluate lessons and recommendations for improving police responses. The module will also consider ethical leadership, professional conduct, and the reporting, recording and investigation of incidents and hate crimes within a modern policing context.

This module will introduce the history, culture, roles and responsibilities of the UK police service, with particular attention to the Police Constable and the standards governing professional practice. You'll examine why police powers must be exercised fairly and without bias, and consider links between police culture and personal behaviour. The module will also introduce Evidence Based Policing, including hot-spots policing, problem-solving approaches and What Works evidence. You'll explore crime-prevention theory, technology, human behaviour and communication with the public, considering how evidence can shape future policing practice and policy.

This module will develop your understanding of crime and incident types, investigations and ethical police decision-making. Through an end-to-end approach, you'll progress from identifying incidents and conducting initial enquiries to handling evidence, dealing with suspects and preparing a prosecution. You'll examine legislation, codes of practice, investigative powers, information and intelligence, and Authorised Professional Practice. Scenarios may range from anti-social behaviour, hate crime and public order to roads policing, radicalisation, serious and organised crime, and terrorism. Proportionality, legality, accountability and necessity will guide your developing practice.

Serious and organised crime presents complex policing challenges across local and national contexts. This module will examine links between serious and organised crime and other criminality, including activity facilitated through road networks and across borders. You'll study operational issues, relevant legislation, policy and guidance on prevention and disruption, considering how criminal justice responses have changed over time. By interpreting the evidence base and applying practical research methods to a policing problem, you'll develop skills for evidence-led investigation and future independent research.

This module will examine how crime affects victims and witnesses and how policing can support and protect them while managing risk from offenders. You'll explore legislation, codes of practice and guidance relating to victim rights, obtaining best evidence and support before, during and after proceedings. The module will also consider frameworks for offender management, the relationship between victimisation and offending, and multi-agency approaches to public safety. Attention to police culture, social diversity, procedural justice and ethics will help you understand how confidence and protection are maintained.

This module will explore vulnerability, risk, intervention and prevention within operational policing. Focusing on real-world cases and national policing priorities, you'll examine factors that can place people at risk of harm and consider how vulnerability may develop across different circumstances. The module aims to foster professional curiosity and strengthen your understanding of safeguarding and harm reduction. Drawing on policing practice and relevant evidence, you'll consider how effective interventions can improve outcomes for individuals and communities while supporting public safety and wellbeing.

This module will develop your understanding of community policing and partnership working. Building on earlier study of evidence-based policing, you'll explore how communities respond to actual and perceived risks and how collaborative approaches can support safer places to live and work. The module will compare historical and contemporary approaches to community policing, examining the role of police officers within communities and wider partnership networks. Through engagement with theory, policy and practice, you'll gain insight into the challenges and opportunities associated with community-focused policing and problem-solving.

This module will explore how digital technologies are transforming contemporary policing. You'll examine the opportunities and challenges created by data, digital communication, surveillance technologies and online investigations. The syllabus may include emerging forms of crime, intelligence gathering, evidence management, legitimacy, ethics and public trust. By considering policy developments and practical applications, you'll develop an understanding of how policing is adapting to increasingly digital environments and how technology shapes relationships between police organisations, communities and wider society.

This module will support you in designing and conducting an evidence-based research project. You'll develop skills in literature searching, research design, ethical decision-making, data collection and analysis, applying appropriate methods to a topic of your choice. The module will encourage critical evaluation of evidence and provide opportunities to communicate findings clearly and effectively. Through independent enquiry, you'll strengthen your ability to investigate complex issues, justify methodological choices and produce research that contributes meaningfully to professional and academic discussions.

This module will examine a range of contemporary threats relevant to policing and public safety. You'll explore the nature, causes and implications of issues that may include organised crime, terrorism, cybercrime, vulnerability and emerging risks. The syllabus will consider intelligence, prevention, partnership working and strategic responses to complex challenges. Drawing on current policy and research, you'll develop your ability to assess threats, evaluate responses and understand how policing organisations adapt to changing social, technological and security environments.

Using real-life case studies, this module will examine how social, political and strategic change shapes policing and criminal justice. You'll critically explore how different communities have experienced policing, and how legislation, policy, accepted practice and performance standards can influence legitimacy and public confidence. Topics will include police reform, workforce and financial pressures, changing demand, digitally enabled crime, vulnerability and extremism. You'll evaluate investigative findings and performance evidence, using ethical frameworks and evidence-based approaches to develop fair, proportionate and innovative responses to change.