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SIXTEEN new police officers have joined Surrey Police this month, the first influx from the innovative probationer recruitment training programme launched by the Force in September last year, in partnership with the University of Portsmouth and Guildford College of Further Education.
The pioneering scheme is the first in the country where potential police recruits can get a broader insight into policing and acquire all the underpinning law knowledge elements of the police officer role before joining, giving them the best possible start to their career.
Students have the opportunity to cover the underpinning law part of the syllabus for initial police training while still undergraduates at university, as part of a full degree programme, or by a short course of study provided by a college of further education. Those who successfully complete all elements of the course and who are subsequently selected as recruits by Surrey Police, will potentially be 14 weeks ahead of their peers when starting their training. This represents a significant financial saving for the Force and means recruits can become operational competent in a shorter time.
Superintendent Duncan Greenhalgh, Head of Surrey Police Leadership Development, said: “Our aim with this scheme is to enable new recruits to gain a broader insight into policing before they join, which will encourage self-directed learning and lead to improved quality and performance. By putting police officer training into academic institutions, it is more transparent and we are very pleased to see that so many students have already passed their exams.”
Emma Warren, Director of Faculty at Merrist Wood Campus, Guildford College, said: “We are very excited to be delivering this new course in partnership with Surrey Police. The students’ pass rates are excellent and we hope the course continues to be successful.”
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