Top Up - Policing BA (Hons) Degree

" Top Up - Policing BA (Hons) Degree OVERVIEW

If you want to do something worthwhile, like give something back to your community, then a career in the police service could be for you. There are many different ways you can contribute in the police service; police officer, police community support officer or a special constable.

This policing degree provides you with an academic understanding of policing and also serves as an introduction to a career in the police. The programme emphasises the diversity of the policing role and draws upon a variety of contexts in which policing is discussed and analysed. This degree is an employment-related higher qualification targeted at those seeking to establish a career in the police service.

WHY CHOOSE THIS COURSE?

This course introduces you to the origins and definitions of all types of offences against the person and sexual offences and the ways they have been approached by prosecuting bodies, sentencing tribunals and enforcement agencies. You will explore how the law has developed in relation to defences and mitigation and political pressures towards extending the tests of ‘reasonableness’ within self-defence.

You will also be introduced to conceptual aspects of our understanding of what terrorism actually is and some of the strategies employed to combat it. The impact of preventative, legal and proactive strategies will also be investigated, along with the role of the media and internet in radicalisation and recruitment. The historical concepts and levels of acceptance of drug use and the way addiction and treatment are managed and at what cost to the community will also be explored alongside the impact of preventative strategies with concepts of sentencing, mandatory drugs testing and the associated legal and social issues.

WHAT WILL I LEARN?

• Violent and Sexual Offences
• Drugs and Crime
• Terrorism and Policing
• Research Project

On successful completion of the programme you should be able to demonstrate knowledge and understanding of:

• Development of modern policing – this module introduces you to how the police service has been influenced and evolved through developments within the criminal justice system through a historical review of the major political and legal milestones along with changes caused by national events;
• Crime and society – this module aims to explore how society recognises and is affected by crime and social behaviour, and the use of crime statistics;
• Youth crime – you will examine how society compartmentalise crime to establish selective responses as exemplified through the way in which youth crime is addressed;
• Social responses to crime – this module aims to provide you with some of the ways in which members of society react to crime and why multiagency strategies aid the police to reduce it;
• Community policing – you will explore the key concepts of community or neighbourhood policing, styles and structures including the governance arrangements;
• Mental health – you will look at the definitions created by the Mental Health Act 2007, their impact, their historical roots and the ability to apply these in practical situations;
• Restorative justice – you will examine the concepts of restorative justice consent, provocation, accident, recklessness, self-defence and other possible defences and their appropriate application. You will also look at the potential use of restorative justice with adult offenders;
• Domestic violence – you will study the current policies and organisational structure that manage domestic violence within the criminal justice system and past and current perspectives which have formulated current practice;
• Violence and sexual crimes – you will examine the differences between drug treatment and sentencing strategies and the law, process and procedures associated with violent and sexual offences;
• Terrorism – you will explore the concepts and debate over definitions of terrorism, the role of intelligence gathering and counter terrorist strategies;
• Research projects – you will look at the principles of academic research skills to apply critical and detailed thinking and the principles of independent and self-managed learning.

HOW WILL THIS COURSE BE TAUGHT?

This course will be taught through a variety of methods – lectures, tutorials, self-directed learning, textbooks, module webs, scenario-based learning sets, professional libraries and resources, journals and case studies, seminars, discussion forums and peer-to-peer learning.

HOW WILL I BE ASSESSED?

Assessments will take the form of individual and group coursework, which is vocationally relevant. The wide range of assessment techniques used at Coventry University Scarborough Campus will ensure that you have every opportunity to demonstrate your skills and knowledge in full.

There are no traditional final examinations to worry about. Instead, we willassess your learning through course work and phase tests. Assessmentstake place during and at the end of each six-week block.

TEACHING CONTACT HOURS

As a full-time student a normal learning block will mean that you get 18 hours of teaching each week in groups of approximately 25-50 students. Depending on the course you have chosen, you will attend morning (9.00-13.00) or afternoon (14.00-18.00) sessions. You will also need to attend one two-hour tutorial each week.

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