POLICE and Crime Commissioner John Dwyer visited the University of Chester’s Warrington Campus, where he spoke to students who have just embarked on the first year of the BSc Degree in Professional Policing, about his highs and lows in the force.
Becoming a police officer entails a mix of education and learning on the job, and since the start of last year any new potential police recruits have three options open to them in order to join the police and learn about their role:
A degree apprenticeship
a degree in any subject (via the Degree Holder Entry programme),
or a professional policing degree
He spoke to first-year students studying the BSc Degree in Professional Policing about police accountability and how this has changed since the introduction of Police and Crime Commissioners nine years ago. He also told students about his soon-to-be-published Police and Crime Plan, and how Commissioners should work with their Chief Constables and Constabularies to deliver on the public’s priorities.
Mr Dwyer said: “I was really glad to be invited to the University to speak to students and to find out what they wanted to achieve by going into policing.
“Policing has undergone significant changes in recent years and has had to constantly evolve in order to maintain public confidence. So, to get an insight into the minds of future officers is as helpful to me as a Commissioner as I hope I was in speaking with them.”
As well as discussing policing priorities, the changing world of policing, and the day-to-day role of a police officer, the Commissioner talked about his own career and gave some advice to students about the ups and downs people can expect in their policing career.
Mr Dwyer added: “In my 30-year career in policing, from being a new recruit in the 1970s to retiring as an Assistant Chief Constable in 2001, I encountered so many highs and lows and being honest with potential recruits is the best way to prepare them for their own career.
“Policing is such a rewarding job. I wish all the students I met the very best for their studies and their careers, and I hope to see them as valued members of Cheshire Constabulary one day.”
To find out more about the various routes into policing, visit www.joiningthepolice.co.uk
