Lifelong Learning: Exploring Inclusive Adult Education Amongst Police Officers in England and Wales

Policing in England and Wales has navigated significant change in the last decade. Public scrutiny has increased, which challenges the legitimacy of police action. The professionalisation agenda is placing expectations on the service to attract a more diverse workforce, to better embrace technology and to build improved levels of trust amongst those communities which have traditionally lacked confidence in the police. To meet these challenges, the ‘Evidence-Based Policing’ (EBP) movement has gained considerable traction. Mature partnerships are developing between practitioners and academics, to build new insights in respect of how to prevent and detect crime. Central to the EBP movement is a cohort of police officers, of all ranks, who are engaging in Higher Education. New recruit pathways which lead to a degree, master’s programmes for experienced officers and leadership development programmes at the executive level are just some of the adult education offerings which are being embraced throughout the service. Frequently, these courses are being accessed by those with little or no previous academic training.