The course has been designed to give each student various options for their future career in law enforcement. There are two themes running throughout the degree; policing and intelligence.This award is about ‘policing’ and ‘intelligence’ but not just the operational side to policing. Your programme of study will address a wide array of occupations beyond the police force which require graduates with an in depth knowledge of intelligence and analysis, forensic investigative skills, digital policing, knowledge of criminal law, knowledge of intelligence relating to various aspects of terrorism and counter terrorism, appreciation of mental health, cyber security and wider understanding of the social context in which policing is conducted.The professionally focused nature of this programme is designed not only to provide knowledge and skills sufficient to gain employment in policing and other security and law enforcement areas, but to also establish a firm foundation upon which to build a career.During the course, students will study criminological theories and gain an understanding of how to conduct inquiries to ascertain if an offence has been committed, to identify who is responsible, and to gather admissible evidence. The course has been designed to give each student various options for their future career in law enforcement, allowing them to choose modules which have been developed by academics across the University. Two specific routes are the ‘forensics’ pathway and a ‘cyber’ pathway; students will be able to choose option modules at all three levels of their degree that will enable them to specialise in these fields.The course has been designed to give each student various options for their future career in law enforcement, allowing them to choose modules which have been developed by academics across the University. For example, criminology is the study of how crime is defined, why some people commit crime, what happens when they do, and the prevention and deterrence of criminal behaviour. The theories and practices of police investigation are central to this.During the course, students will study criminological theories and gain an understanding of how to conduct inquiries to ascertain if an offence has been committed, to identify who is responsible, and to gather admissible evidence. In addition to these policing areas, optional modules have been included to allow students to follow specific ‘pathways’. Two specific routes are the ‘forensics’ pathway and a ‘cyber’ pathway; students will be able to choose option modules at all three levels of their degree that will enable them to specialise in these fields.The ‘forensics’ pathway will be particularly beneficial to future police officers and civilian investigators since an understanding of the methods and weaknesses of forensic science can assist with case preparation and inter-agency working (Devlin and Dodd, 2017).Potential Career PathsSuccessful completion of this award may lead to a career in the police service as an operational officer or as support staff as an intelligence and crime analyst. However this degree does not limit employability to these roles. The degree develops skills which are appropriate to a range of law enforcement and security roles including investigation within branches of Revenue and Customs, Immigration, Social Security Services; Health and Safety Executive; Environmental Health; private security sector; forensic accountancy and allied or related areas. Whether or not you pursue a vocation in policing, this degree will provide you with a set of intellectual, social and practical skills, as well as knowledge that many employers find attractive.
