BSc (Hons) Professional Policing course preparation
To help you feel prepared for your university studies, we’ve gathered together a range of course related activities including suggested reading, useful websites and some great things to do right now. Open the links below to find out more:
Suggested reading
This section relates to reading specifically for your programme. For suggested reading and other materials to read or watch now, please view the other sections on this page.
During your first week you’ll be provided with a comprehensive academic programme handbook and an administrative rules and procedures handbook. The contents of each will be explained during your first formal introductory sessions. You’ll also be provided with a module handbook for each of your modules that will include:
- Details of the aims and outcomes for each module
- Details of the teaching and learning methods, assessment methods and weightings,
- Details on coursework submission and feedback dates and procedures, extension procedures, module attendance requirements
- Details of the title and contents of your weekly module lectures and weekly seminar/ workshop tasks and the supporting reading for each topic.
During your first few weeks of study you’ll be required to attend a range of hour-long introductory sessions where tutors and other relevant staff will provide you with guidance on how to use our hard copy and online library, access and use our virtual learning platform, Blackboard. We’ll also explain the rationale for how we teach and assess on the programme and each module, the skills you’ll need to develop to get the most out of lectures and seminars/workshops, and you’ll be introduced to the assessment criteria for the assessed tasks on each of the modules.
You’ll also get an insight in to the roles of various colleagues in the Department and who you should go and see if you require assistance. We’ll also provide you with a detailed introduction and overview of each of your modules as well as an introduction to relevant facilities, including our ‘crime house’ and courtroom.
As a Professional Policing student you’ll be provided with your individual copy of the essential module textbook(s) for each of the compulsory Year 1 modules you are required to take. These should be returned at the end of the Year of Study.
In the meantime, you might want to get a head start by beginning to read the following text:
- Rowe, M. (2018) Introduction to Policing, Third Edition, London: Sage.
Useful websites
- Law in Action – As BBC Radio 4’s long running legal podcast, this show features reports and discussion on all matters relating to law, from questioning whether new technologies affect human rights, to interviews with guest such as Lord Chief Justice, Sir Ian Burnett. As an easy to follow podcast, this is an interesting listen.
- Serial (Series 1) – This investigative podcast follows the murder of 18 year old Hae Min Lee in 1999. Involving interviews with convicted ex-boyfriend Adnan Syed, who maintains his innocence, the series questions whether the justice system failed Hae and Adnan, and explores how complex cases such as this can be.
- Watch the Judge Rinder Highlight on YouTube.
- Discover the Supreme Court in the UK on their YouTube Channel/
- Search for and watch the Crown Court TV Series on YouTube
- Search for and watch the Crime Watch Solved TV Series on YouTube
- Start to explore the free elements of the Policing Insights website. You will gain full access to the paid version once enrolled onto one of our Policing Degrees
- Police Magazine
- Police Oracle
- Policing Today
- Take a look at the College of Policing’s ‘Crime Reduction Toolkit’ and ‘What Works Centre for Crime Reduction’
If you’d like to organise your tasks and create a to-do list visit Trello. - If you’d like to explore careers within the Legal sector or law enforcement visit the Prospects website.
Things to do over summer
There are several things you can do to start to prepare for your studies over the summer. We recommend that you:
- Get into the habit of reading a good quality, broadsheet newspaper on a daily basis; The Times, The Guardian and The Independent (now online) are all good choices
- Listen to the news programmes on BBC Radio 4 and watch the extended news programmes on television which provide more analysis, such as Newsnight and Channel 4 News; and good quality documentaries e.g. Dispatches, Panorama and Unreported World.
- If you’re able to, you could get a feel for the Law in action by visiting your local Magistrates’ Court, County Court and Crown Court, and watch court proceedings from the public gallery. Doing this will bring to life some of the elements of Law that you will be studying from September. You can also follow the proceedings of the Supreme Court of the UK
As a Policing student, you’ll need to have good knowledge and understanding of current events – getting into the habit of paying attention to news and political events will certainly help you with your studies. You may be doing some of these things already; if so, keep up the good work!
Additional ways to prepare
Preparing to start
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Find out more about who you are
The following information provides an insight into what to expect when coming to university along with some good advice on how to navigate some of the potential challenges you may face.
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