Year one
Core modules
Police, Policing and Security
The aim of the module is to illustrate the basic concepts and principles of police accountability, performance measurement and legitimacy. It will explore the challenges of policing transnational organised crime as well as those more locally associated with maintaining the careful balance between the need to keep order during public protest and retaining basic rights of freedom of speech and assembly. The module will examine the use of criminal intelligence methods and intelligence databases to support the prevention and detection of crime as well as considering management strategies, leadership and human resource management. The module will illustrate the disparaging effects of police corruption and the need for strategies to maintain the highest ethical standards in police work.
Crime Science
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts and principles of existing scientific approaches and broader techniques in the prevention, investigation and detection of crime. The module will explore ways in which the nature of crime can be informed by science and police investigative approaches. It will investigate how science can support detection and contribute towards crime prevention and it will also consider how scientific methods are applied to crime reduction.
The Law and Politics of Policing
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts and principles relating to the police role, within legal, political and social contexts. It also aims to present you with an understanding of the various organisational forms that policing takes within the extended police family, different functions and models of policing, and the legitimacy of police use of powers in different policing contexts.
The Criminal Justice System and How to Tell What Works
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of the basic concepts and principles relative to policing and the criminal justice system in England and Wales. The module is designed to enable you to gain an understanding of the position and role of the police in the wider context of criminal investigation and offender management and to explore the organisations which form the criminal justice system in the United Kingdom.
Police Practice, Policy and Procedures 1
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of basic police practices, policies and procedures in England and Wales. It is the first of three modules which embed within them components enabling the student to attain the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing (CKP). The module will focus on legislation and those aspects of the law that are more commonly used by the police, such as the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and more generally explore legal procedures. The module will consider the classification of some offences within law and the defences attached to particular offences. Fundamental aspects of a police officer’s duty will be introduced, such as evidence gathering, search, arrest and detention.
Optional modules
In Year 1 you will have an option of studying a Language as part of your degree, or a module Crime and Disorder in Context, which examines the key principles and concepts underpinning crime and its causes., as well as the central theories and methodologies encountered within the social sciences, and criminology in particular.
Year two
Core modules
Decision Making Theory and Practice in Policing
The module aims to develop decision making and psychological theory understandings in policing by consideration of non-technical skills which are underpinned by empirical evidence and science. Theoretical principles to be addressed in the module are decision making models, situational awareness, personal and collective decision making, leadership and team functioning, environmental constraints and stressors. The module will consider the application of critical incident understanding in different contexts practically, e.g., murder investigation, road death, arson, safeguarding children, missing persons and fire-arms use. Learning in safe place, and in the absence of practical error, is the theme of the module.
Evidence-Based Community Policing
The overall aim of the module is to develop an understanding of neighbourhood and community policing. By examining the key features of each and considering arguments for and against the adoption of these models of policing. The module aims to develop your awareness of the qualities required of a professional neighbourhood police officer. The module also aims to develop your ability to identify professional and academic literature related to neighbourhood and community policing and to engage with issues related to this area of study in an independent and autonomous manner. This module embeds a volunteering element, allowing you to gain valuable experience of working within relevant criminal justice or third sector organisations.
Criminal Investigation
The main aims of the module are to develop your knowledge and understanding of police investigations in the UK and the law underpinning these investigations. The module requires you to become acquainted with the history, structure and function of investigative work in the UK as well as concepts and procedures and current practices relating to police investigations of volume, series and major crimes. In addition you will acquire a knowledge and understanding of the current law in relation to police investigative powers, safeguards for suspects, and selected criminal offences.
Likely optional modules
Police Practice, Policy and Procedures 2
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of police practices, policies and procedures in England and Wales. It is the second of three modules, which embed within them components enabling you to attain the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing (CKP). This module will focus on legislation and relevant policing practices and policies relating to Volume Crime Investigation, providing an initial response to a policing incidents and Public Protection. The module will include an introduction to the principles of the College of Policing Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) further exploration of the Police and Criminal Evidence Act 1984 (PACE) and Human Rights Legislation. The module will consider the classification of offences relating to Public protection, how a police response is delivered and how evidence is gathered in order to bring offenders to Justice. Fundamental aspects of a police officer’s duty will be explored such as evidence gathering, search, case building and Interviewing witnesses and suspects
Fundamentals of Forensic Investigation
This module aims to provide you with the key concepts and theories underpinning forensic investigation in preparation for later modules. The module first critically examines Locard’s theory on transfer and Kirk’s assertions regarding uniqueness and, hence, individualisation. It then explores the principles associated with each stage of a forensic investigation, including crime scene investigation, forensic laboratory analysis and presentation of evidence and identifies the role of forensic professions in answering investigative questions. The theories are then applied to the main categories of forensic evidence and issues such as the nature of science, the analysis of arguments and inductive and deductive reasoning are addressed. These themes are further developed during the remainder of the programme.
Psychology and the Criminal Justice System
This module aims to give you an introductory understanding of forensic psychology and its impact on the criminal justice system. It will explore how psychology has changed criminal justice procedures, impacted on police practice and given a better understanding of people involved in the criminal justice system such as: perpetrators, victims and witnesses. Special attention will be paid to vulnerable people with lectures on addiction and mental health. Additionally, this module will explore the psychology of the court process and the prison system utilising psychology to understand trial proceedings, the impact of psychological processes on sentencing and the application of psychology to the treatment of offenders.
Frontiers of New Criminality: Cybersecurity in 21st Century
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of cyber security and the increasing important requirement for global business and modern society to protect digital assets and activities in cyber space. Information technology and associated communications’ networks and services pervade our everyday lives. The challenge to understand cyber risk and deliver effective and accessible security becomes harder as technology continues to rapidly evolve and our systems become ever more complex. Consequently, the module will explore the threats faced by individuals and organisations; the extent of cybercriminal activities and the techniques and skills required to meet the challenge of cybercrime.
International Policing – Structures and Dynamics
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge of the structures which regulate international policing. It also aims to develop the student’s critical understanding of the dynamics which determine the forms and priorities of international policing.
Year three
Core modules
Policing Public Order and Crowd Psychology
This module aims to bring together research, theory and practice to give you an understanding of the relationship between social disorder in society, public order policing, and crowd psychology. The course will consider dominant theories which under-pin models of crowd psychology (e.g., LeBon, Allport & SIT). Taking an inter-group perspective, crowd psychology and police perspectives of disorder will be deconstructed to illustrate the psychological dynamics which create the conditions necessary for collective violence. Key case studies will draw on social disorder in different contexts (e.g., protests and demonstrations, and domestic and international football events). The benefit in uniting empirical research with practical policing principles will be explored in addressing the emergence of policing principles of Dynamic Risk Assessment and Graded Tactical Deployment as empirically informed good practice principles.
Policing Terrorism and Political Violence in the UK
This module aims to give you an understanding of the emerging arena of critical incident management in policing, with a focus in application to the policing of terrorism in the UK. Critical incident management has a broad definition and wide application in practice. The module will consider diverse case studies which examine in practice issues of decision making processes in controversial police decision making in policing, and capture the critical instance learning points from these instances. The course will consider policing terrorism in contemporary society, history, philosophy, morals and ethics, decision making and balancing priorities and audiences. The multifaceted dynamics surrounding, human rights, models of policing terrorism (intelligence, community etc.), CONTEST, radicalisation and the law will come together, offering a focused examination of theory and practice in policing the problem of terrorism and political violence in the UK.
Individual Study
The aim of the Individual Study module is to develop your ability to research and analyse crime science in some depth, and construct a wellreasoned argument based on your findings. In so doing the course aims to provide you with a degree of autonomy in your learning by allowing an opportunity to pursue in some depth, a study of a topic aligned to crime science.
For your final core module, you are asked to choose one of the below.
Police Reform and the Future of Policing
This module aims to provide the rationale behind police reform in the United Kingdom. It will critically examine the recent changes that have occurred in both Northern Ireland and Scotland. The module will review calls on the UK police service to respond to the dual challenge of increasing governmental/public demands for improvements in police efficiency and effectiveness in the context of decreasing real time increases in financial resources.
Police Practice, Policy and Procedures 3
The aim of the module is to provide you with the opportunity to develop knowledge and understanding of police practices, policies and procedures in England and Wales. It is the third of three modules, which embed within them components enabling the student to attain the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing (CKP). This module will focus on legislation and relevant policing practices and policies relating to Personal and Public safety, Planned and Emergency police procedures and gathering and handling of police Intelligence and information, it will include an exploration of Counter Terrorism, the principles Critical Incident management and Management of Police Information (MoPI). Fundamental aspects of policing skills in relation to these aspects of Policing will be explored.
Likely optional modules
Crime Scene Analysis
A crime scene is any place, person or object that may be subject to a criminal investigation. Therefore, effective handling of crime scenes is essential in ensuring that the police are able to access evidence which may potentially prove or disprove the involvement of a suspect in a criminal offence and intelligence which might provide support for the investigation. This module chiefly aims to develop a clear understanding of the crime scene processing by providing theory on the role and processes of the crime scene and exploring the potential of the various types of evidence that may be encountered. The module also enables you to develop the practical skills required to function as a crime scene investigator, demonstrating the difference between the investigation of volume crime and serious crime scenes.
Crime Control - Theories and Practice
The aim of the module is to provide you with an understanding and knowledge of how crime theories (from sociological, psychological and criminological perspectives) interact with and influence modern day police practice and crime control methods. The module will enable students to consider the application of science and theory to a police context and some of the wider societal and political issues which may have influenced this at particular points in history. The module will touch on how policing has become more managed as a business, including considerations of value for money, correct resource deployment and performance management.
Investigating Rape and Domestic Abuse
This module critically examines the police investigation of rape (as well as other serious sexual assaults), and domestic abuse. It enhances your knowledge in relation to previous studies of criminal investigation, by developing your ability to critically analyse all aspects of the police response to rape. Similarly the same critical analysis will take place in relation to the police response to domestic abuse. It is no surprise that the police response to both of these types of crimes has attracted much criticism in the past. This module will analyse to what extent the police have improved, and discuss how they conduct their modern investigations in the wider criminal justice setting, and in partnership with other agencies. All content will be discussed against the backdrop of research relating to sexual and violent offending, case studies and case law. Some criminal justice practitioners will be invited to speak in order to add a practical element to the module.
Psychology of Serious and Prolific Offending
The module aims to explore specialist areas of research and application within criminal and forensic psychology, particularly in relation to serious and prolific offending behaviours and ways to address them. The module will critically evaluate the strengths and limitations of the featured research and literature and in doing so facilitate your development of both subject specific and transferable skills appropriate to the level of study.