Learning from Practice

1. Learning from Practice • Professor Colin Rogers • Head of Research, • Centre for Policing and Security • University of South Wales.

2. Centre for Police Sciences. • Created in 2004 • Aimed at providing qualifications to support applicants to the police service and similar agencies • Part of the UPSI tripartite between Cardiff university, South Wales Police and the then University of Glamorgan

3. Recognition that policing underpinned by a pragmatic approach, yet rooted in many theories and concepts. • As part of UPSI we delivered the foundation degree in police sciences to SWP probationers as part of their probationary period. • Implicit in all our course was the evidence based approach. • To move an organisation towards such a culture this needs to be inbuilt at the point of entry for new recruits.

4. As part of this approach the idea of learning from practice is very important.

5. Supporting our courses through good quality research has always been a priority. • We have been research active, at a local, national and international level from the very beginning. • A few of the areas we have researched into are • The use of community intelligence by police • Police and marginalised group engagement • Police unionism (USA) • Governance and accountability • The utility of volunteers in the police • POP and Community policing (Uruguay) • Closure of police station front desks • Educating police Officers (Australia)

6. Feedback of research includes such as the Hydra Minerva suite we have at the centre a swell as through visiting guest speakers, lectures, publications etc.

7. Learning from practice helps: • Identify and apply advances in knowledge and practice in order to enhance professional standards • Investigate and utilise effective communications techniques in the learning environment including receiving and giving constructive and effective feedback • Helps understand and employ group learning approaches thereby stimulating consultation etc.

8. A brief example: Victim Care Unit Research • Role to ensure victims of crime were dealt with in compliance with force policy etc. • In particular satisfaction levels of victims of crime • Also the impact the unit was having upon perceptions of victims of crime. • Findings included • Satisfaction levels with police performance declined following initial contact with police. • There appeared to be some evidence of an applied ‘hierarchy of victimisation’ applied by some police officers.