The University of Central Lancashire (UCLan) and Greater Manchester Police (GMP) have announced a new partnership to further professionalise learning for police officers.

The new collaboration will deliver innovative and high-quality victim-centred learning to new student police officers.

Stephen Watson, GMP’s Chief Constable, said: “This partnership will ensure GMP’s student officers develop the leadership, skills and knowledge they need to deliver high-quality policing services to our communities.

“I’m looking forward to welcoming the first officers onto the new learning programmes later this year.”

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Two new programmes are being introduced at UCLan, as well as the University of Salford, from November 2021:

• Police Constable Degree Apprenticeship (PCDA): a three-year professional policing degree apprenticeship.

• Degree Holder Entry Programme (DHEP): a two-year graduate diploma.

Both offer the opportunity for successful applicants to gain a qualification while serving as a police officer.

UCLan’s Professor Chris Pyke,Executive Dean at the Faculty of Business and Justice, said: “It is fantastic to have been selected to deliver these innovative new programmes for Greater Manchester Police alongside our colleagues at the University of Salford.

“UCLan has been a leader in the design and delivery of policing programmes within the higher education sector for the last 17 years, and since early 2020 has been successfully delivering the College of Policing nationally accredited PCDA and DHEP programmes with two other forces in the region. 

“The step change from police training to the higher education experience is a really exciting time for all involved in the move towards greater professionalisation of the service.

“We are looking forward to developing the partnership with GMP in order to ensure that the public of Greater Manchester receive a first-class, compassionate service from their police officers.”

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