These changes provide an exciting opportunity to improve the training that student officers in Hampshire receive. The new curriculum has been developed in light of mandatory Home Office requirements, including the requirement for constabularies to take responsibility for the training of their student officers.
Student officers will undergo a two year training programme, during which time they will be assessed for a National Vocational Qualification (NVQ) in Policing. This new training programme is known as the Initial Police Learning and Development Programme (IPLDP).
One of the key factors for the modernisation of the training programme is community engagement. What does community engagement mean? There is no simple answer - community engagement can be defined as whatever will ensure that student officers are better able to understand and meet the needs of the community they will be policing.
Some of the ways Hampshire Constabulary is engaging its student officers with the community are by:
- bringing subject matter experts in as guest speakers
- taking students out of the training environment into community locations to carry out role plays (currently involved in this are Gunwharf Quays, The Cascades Centre and Southampton Coroners Court)
- using members of the community as role players
- developing a cultural awareness programme to reflect the diverse cultures of Hampshire and the Isle of Wight.
However, the main method for IPLDP in engaging with the community is by placing a student officer with a community group, voluntary organisation or charity for five days at week four of their training. The aim of this community placement is to enhance the student officers' understanding of other organisations, diverse communities and groups within their police area and the issues that affect them.
To assist us in the development of sustainable community placements for our student officers we need your help. If you are part of an organisation that may be interested in being involved in the training of student officers please contact either of the community engagement co-ordinators, Karen Deakin or Sarah Purdue. You can also contact us if you are interested in, or wish to know any further information regarding, any other aspect of the community engagement within IPLDP.
Email: ipldp.community@hampshire.pnn.police.uk
Phone: 023 8074 5081
