Police Studies, Procedure and Investigation - BSc (Hons)

In addition to the University's standard entry requirements, you should have:

• a minimum of grades BBC in three A levels or minimum grades BC in at least two A levels in academic or business subjects (or a minimum of 112 UCAS points from an equivalent Level 3 qualification)
• GCSE English at grade C (grade 4 from 2017) or above or Higher Diploma (or equivalent)

Applicants with relevant professional qualifications or extensive professional experience will also be considered on a case by case basis.

All applicants must be able to demonstrate proficiency in the English language. Applicants who require a Tier 4 student visa may need to provide a Secure English Language Test (SELT) such as Academic IELTS. For more information about English qualifications please see our English language requirements.

The modules listed below are for the academic year 2017/18 and represent the course modules at this time. Modules and module details (including, but not limited to, location and time) are subject to change over time.

Year 1 modules include:

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  Criminal Law (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Wednesday morning
  • all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon
  • all year (January start) - Wednesday morning

  This module provides an academic introduction to fundamental rules of criminal law, including the principles of a range of criminal offences.

  Read full details.
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  Introduction to Criminological Theory (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Friday afternoon
  • all year (January start) - Friday morning

  The module provides a study of crime and its control through considering the history of criminological thought from the Enlightenment to the present day. The module begins by exploring classicism and traces the shift towards positivistic theories and later critical forms of criminological theory. Students are introduced to these theories through relating them to the social context in which issues to do with crime and deviance now occur.

  Read full details.
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  Introduction to Policing (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon

  The module gives a broad introductory overview of policing in terms of law enforcement and combating crime. It traces historically the evolutionary process of policing as a distinct function of the state. The module introduces the development of policing traditions in England and Wales in some detail and also offers a grounding for comparison with policing systems in some other jurisdictions.

  Read full details.
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  Introduction to the Criminal Justice System (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Thursday morning
  • all year (January start) - Thursday morning

  This module introduces students to the scope and functions of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) in England and Wales. It provides a broad overview of the mechanisms and aims of the CJS upon which students can build a more detailed knowledge of criminal justice policies, crime control, punishment and social control by the state, at levels 5 and 6. The module also specifically provides students with an introductory picture of the extent of officially recorded crime.

  Read full details.

Year 2 modules include:

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  Knowledge in Policing (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Thursday morning

  This module is designed to achieve a nationally recognised pre-entry qualification in policing alongside level 5 academic credits. The module incorporates all of the national mandatory learning requirements set by the College of Policing which is essential in order to achieve the equivalence of the Certificate of Knowledge of Policing (CKP). In order to achieve the level 5 credits, the module builds upon the required mandatory learning by developing the students’ knowledge and understanding so that they can demonstrate a critical understanding, reflection and evaluation of the of key factors and themes that are shaping the delivery of contemporary policing. Successful completion of this module - including passing all written exams - will be recognised as the equivalent of the Certificate of Knowledge in Policing. As it requires access to the College of Policing web platform and material, this is only open to students and courses preparing for access to police constable status.

  Read full details.
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  Perspectives on Policing (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Tuesday afternoon

  The module develops student knowledge of specialised areas of police operations and professional practice. The module focuses specifically on community policing (policing diverse communities), covert policing (police surveillance methods), specialist policing operations (organised crime, child protection), police analysis and intelligence-gathering, police ethics and culture and police governance (mechanisms for oversight and accountability).

  Read full details.
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  Skills for Community Police Officers (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Tuesday morning

  The module aims to provide participants with a basic understanding of the skills needed for community police officers. This includes covering the skills and knowledge needed to liaise successfully wit local authorities and diverse communities. Particular focus with be on the school policing concept and culture and the duties generally performed by school community officers in partnership with schools and other agencies. It will highlight areas of good practice in partnership work and provide frameworks which help to develop problem solving strategies and ultimately keep young people safe. It will review and analyse local tactics and tool kits employed by both statutory and on-statutory bodies and consider the wider implications of effective partnership working.

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  Crime in Context (option, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Wednesday morning

  The module builds on level 4 introductory modules to provide an overview of the study of crime, criminality and criminals with reference to particular categories of ‘crime’. It begins by looking at how crime developed and changed in the transition from premodern to modern industrial societies. It then examines contemporary forms of crime by looking respectively at those associated with and predominantly perpetrated by the socially marginalised (the criminal ‘underworld’) and those associated with the economically and socially powerful (the ‘overworld’).

  Read full details.
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  Crime, Media and Technology (option, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • autumn semester - Wednesday afternoon

  This module looks at the media impact on public perceptions of crime and justice.
  It also looks at the way contemporary media and technologies influence criminal behaviour and influence the operations of the criminal justice system; and the emerging forms of deviant behaviour facilitated by contemporary technology and media.

  Read full details.
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  Racism and Ethnicity (option, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Thursday afternoon

  The module explores theories and conceptions of racism and ethnicity, and the practices of racism in contemporary societies. The historical roots of racism will be examined and its contemporary forms studied comparatively. Racism is specifically explored within the context of social and political conflicts.

  Read full details.
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  Youth, Crime and Violence (option, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • spring semester - Wednesday afternoon

  Academic authors have shown that for centuries adults have expressed concerns about the anti-social and criminal behaviour of young people. In recent times, this concern has centred on rising levels of violent crime by young people and the burgeoning ‘gang, gun and knife crime culture’ in the UK. In response to public concerns policy makers and practitioners have designed numerous community and criminal justice initiatives to tackle the anti-social behaviour of young people, reduce their offending rates and encourage desistence from criminal activity.
  
  This module critically examines young people’s involvement in crime and violence. It examines key theories for understanding violence by the young and explores the connection between violent behaviour and a variety of social issues such as peer pressure, gender, ‘race’ and ethnicity, and alcohol and substance misuse. This highlights the impact of changing economic, political and cultural contexts from the global to local. The module also explores, and critically examines, media and criminal justice responses to youth crime.

  Read full details.

Year 3 modules include:

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  Criminology Work Experience (core, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • spring semester - Wednesday afternoon

  This module is based on self-managed work experience within an organisation or agency related to the field of criminal justice / criminology. The student either:

  1. Spends a period of 15 days with his or her chosen employer and produces an evidence-based account of his or her experience. In carrying out the work experience students develop new skills and enhance their generic learning experience.

  Or

  2. Undertake a piece of consultancy work for an employer producing a piece of work in agreement with the organisation that will develop the student’s new skills and enhance their generic learning experience.
  
  Students will be assisted to find a period of work experience, which can be paid or voluntary, and will be allocated a supervisor whom they may contact for support to look for work and during the work experience period.

  Read full details.
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  Frameworks in Investigation (core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Friday morning

  This module will build on student knowledge of policing with regard to criminal investigations. The module will develop an insight into a range of investigations, from volume crime to serious and organised crime, as well as examining investigative skills (e.g. investigative interviewing, crime scene examination) and the wide range of support services essential to successful investigative work (covert & intelligence led policing methods, forensic support, CPS). Key legislation impacting on the conduct of investigations will also be critically examined (PACE, RIPA, CPIA, HRA etc) and an examination of court procedure.

  The module will focus on the investigative process and the practical aspects of investigations. It will also examine the legislation affecting investigations and often the miscarriages of justice that gave rise to them. Students will be involved in practical and group work in formative and summative assessments.

  Read full details.
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  Victims and Crime (core, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • autumn semester - Tuesday morning

  For much of its history, criminology has been concerned with the offender. The victim was largely absent from criminological discourse, research and the criminal justice process. It was not until the early 20th century that criminologists [re] discovered the victim and began to consider the role they played in the commission of crime. From these early investigations, the victim became the central focus for many scholars and the discipline ‘victimology’ emerged. The victim is no longer considered to be ‘a bit part player’ in understanding crime. They are considered to be central to crime detection and to the prosecution of criminal acts. This module charts the birth and growth of victimology and considers some of its key theoretical concepts. It will explore the nature and extent of criminal victimisation in society and critically examine it from a number of different perspectives. The module will also explore the changing role of victim within the criminal justice system.

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  Criminology Project (alternative core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Wednesday afternoon

  In this module students have the opportunity to develop their interest in an area of criminology and related fields – exploring a topic of their own choosing in-depth by means of independent research.
  
  Students are given the opportunity to design and conduct their own research project focussing on a topic that relates to their degree course. The self-directed third year project is a great opportunity for students to build upon the knowledge and research skills acquired throughout their studies. The research project can take a variety of forms – surveys, questionnaires, interviews etc., or it may take the form of library based theoretical work.
  
  Students are required to attend a series of dedicated workshops designed to support you through the research project. From the outset, through to completion, students will also receive guidance from an allocated supervisor.
  
  The skills and experience gained throughout the project can also affect your employability and/or provide a reference for postgraduate study.

  Read full details.
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  Evidence-based Policing Research Project (alternative core, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Tuesday morning

  In this module students have the opportunity to develop their interest in an area of policing – exploring in-depth a topic of their own choosing by means of independent research.
  Students design and conduct their own research project focussing on a topic that relates to their police studies degree programme. The self-directed third year project is a great opportunity for students to apply the specialist policing knowledge and skills acquired in years 1 and 2, and produce an evidence-based policing project. The research project can take a variety of forms – an action research approach, surveys, questionnaires, interviews etc., supplemented by library based exploration of ‘what works’. It should conclude by indicating key learning points and improvements or adjustments to working practices.
  Students are required to attend a series of dedicated workshops designed to support them through the research project. From the outset, through to completion, students will also receive guidance from an allocated supervisor.
  The skills and experience gained throughout the project can also affect your employability and/or provide a reference for postgraduate study.

  Read full details.
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  Crime Control and Penology (option, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Friday afternoon

  The first part of this module examines historical and contemporary approaches to crime control and the way in which the latter is manifest in policy and practice. The module considers and assesses the rhetoric, strategies, practices and evaluation of key criminal justice agencies in relation to both serious and less serious crime and national and international crime control issues.

  The second part of the module concentrates on penal policy and practice, exploring issues regarding the imprisonment of convicted offenders and the way in which this relates to theoretical criminological concepts. Through comparative penology, the role of imprisonment and impact of penal policy within the context of wider society are explored and examined. Issues such as diversity, gender, ‘race’ and mental disorder in relation to prisoner experiences area highlighted.

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  Serious and Serial Offenders (option, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • autumn semester - Thursday afternoon

  This module explores the definition, characteristics and offending behaviour of serious and serial offenders, with a particular focus on mass, spree and serial murderers, sexual offenders and arsonists. The module also considers how such offenders are investigated, their behaviour and characteristics analysed. Key explanatory theories used to explain serious and serial offending will be examined and the efficacy of these in relation to methodological concerns critically evaluated. Finally, the module explores the identification and apprehension of serious and serial offenders, including the application of psychological and geographic profiling techniques.

  Read full details.
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  Social Control, Drugs and Organised Crime (option, 30 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • all year (September start) - Wednesday morning

  This module will cover modern theoretical models of social control. It then goes on to interrogate the changing nature of social control in contemporary society, looking both at continuities with and disjunctions from the past It will use drugs and organised crime as examples to support and critique the theories. As this module is to be taught at level 6 it will also include some complex social and criminological theory.

  Read full details.
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  Terrorism and Counter-Terrorism (option, 15 credits)

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  This module currently runs:

  • spring semester - Tuesday morning

  This module examines extreme political violence in the form of ‘terrorism’ and the responses of states and international organisations. Students will be encouraged to examine critically the phenomena, reflecting upon how motivation, tactics and strategies of groups employing extreme political violence have changed over time. The module explores the theoretical justifications of political violence, contrasting the presupposition that political violence is ‘rationalist’ with the presupposition that it is ‘pre-rational’. The second half of the module considers the impact of the threat posed by Al-Qaeda and affiliated groups and the UK’s legislative and policing response in the context of the global “war on terror”.

  Read full details.

At the end of the programme you’ll gain the skills and qualifications needed to become a police officer or police employee. These will be gained by taking specialist modules which provide the equivalent of the Certificate in Knowledge of Policing approved by the College of Policing. You’ll also gain the skills necessary to become a police analyst and those required for policing in schools and neighbourhood policing. There are also opportunities to spend time as a special constable to gain academic credit.

Police services in London include the Metropolitan Police Service, British Transport Police and the City of London Police. Students will be fast tracked into a role as a special constable from which the strongest candidates may gain a permanent post.

There are other further opportunities to study security and policing courses at master’s and doctorate level.

Between 2016 and 2020 we're investing £125 million in the London Metropolitan University campus, moving all of our activity to our current Holloway campus in Islington, north London. This will mean the teaching location of some courses will change over time.

Whether you will be affected will depend on the duration of your course, when you start and your mode of study. The earliest moves affecting new students will be in September 2018. This may mean you begin your course at one location, but over the duration of the course you are relocated to one of our other campuses. Our intention is that no full-time student will change campus more than once during a course of typical duration.

All students will benefit from our move to one campus, which will allow us to develop state-of-the-art facilities, flexible teaching areas and stunning social spaces.

Please note, in addition to the tuition fee there may be additional costs for things like equipment, materials, printing, textbooks, trips or professional body fees.

Additionally, there may be other activities that are not formally part of your course and not required to complete your course, but which you may find helpful (for example, optional field trips). The costs of these are additional to your tuition fee and the fees set out above and will be notified when the activity is being arranged.

Unistats is the official site that allows you to search for and compare data and information on university and college courses from across the UK. The widget(s) below draw data from the corresponding course on the Unistats website. If a course is taught both full-time and part-time, one widget for each mode of study will be displayed here.