Do police officers need a degree?

  

The College of Policing claims police officers should have degrees.  The two weathermen polished their boots.

Weatherman  1 : The College of Policing says police officers aren’t well educated. They need degrees because the job is demanding.

Weatherman  2 :  A degree in what?

WM1 : A degree in policing is proposed. Or a conversion course after graduating in something else.

WM 2 : Don’t they just drive quickly with flashing blue lights most of the time? They need to know what the pedals do for sure.

WM1 : The chief executive said the work had equality with other professions which demand graduate entry.

WM2 : Can’t you learn it from watching the television? A few episodes of Taggart or Lewis and you know all you need to know about sniffing out baddies.

WM1 : They don’t accurately reflect reality. There’s lots of boring stuff. There’s a crime recording standard you have to follow; sometimes they have to report on fights in chip shops when the assailant has left. No chasing the baddie there.

WM2 : I bet they blue light it to that incident. Describe to me exactly what you saw Sir, and no, no salt and vinegar on my chips.

WM1 :  If the victim has left too, the officer doesn’t have to report it because there is no crime to report.

 WM2 : But he can still have a saveloy.

WM1 :  And they have to learn how to walk with a certain authority and learn to polish shoes, and that doesn’t make good television. On TV, the police go for a beer with other officers after work. The truth is, most police distance themselves from the job after their shift. They may stand shoulder to shoulder when policing a riot, but they don’t like all their colleagues.

WM2 : So what would they teach on the degree?

WM1 : Signal Crime for one. That’s the study of our perception of crime and how some crimes increase our sense of insecurity. Deal with those and people are happier.

WM2 : There was a chap walking around our neighbourhood putting screws in tyres. Everyone was annoyed about it, except the guys at Kwik Fit. The police caught him in the end.

WM1 : Everyone is happier now then.

WM2 : The streets are cleaner, literally. Most people have a broom and shovel now sweeping up the rusty nails from the roadside, just in case some other idiot starts it off again. We still lock our doors – we are a distrusting society. Just like the weather, crime influences our behaviour.

WM1 : Police also need to study ethics. I looked at a long list. You have to be accountable, fair, trustworthy, be open and objective, and behave with respect, integrity and selflessness.

WM2 : Desirable it may be – but it’s obvious isn’t it? That’s a set of basic behaviours we expect from all professionals. Not just professionals, civilised people in our community. Why do we need to study it?

WM1 : I suppose some people slipped through the net. If you didn’t share your Rolos at school and got away with it because the school didn’t teach that selfishness was anti-social, then the Police need to sort that out before handing out a uniform.

WM2 : So they are teaching things we ought to know anyway, to those who don’t know it. That’s scary. It sounds like a remedial course for people who don’t know basic civilised conduct. Who are they recruiting?

WM1 : One might hope the crème de la crème of citizens apply.

WM2 : But behind that uniform – who knows what the officer is thinking? I hope you are right.