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Luke Tomlinson

BSc (Hons) Professional Policing

Policing student, Luke Tomlinson. Luke is standing simulated crime scene setting. The setting is an outdoor woodland area taped up with police taping. Luke is wearing a forensics suit and rubber gloves.

Edge Hill has very close links to local Police forces and we’ve had the opportunity to meet and learn directly from several senior officers during the course.

Like a lot of young boys, I wanted to be a police officer when I grew up. I loved watching cop shows on TV and that’s what initially drew me towards becoming a detective. I loved the idea of serving my community and breaking down stereotypes about the police.

Realistic is the best word to describe the training I’ve had at Edge Hill so far. The university has a ‘Crime House’ on campus to mock-up crime scenes and practice policing techniques. It is an amazing facility and part of it has been designed to look like a police station with a mock custody suite, a cell and interview rooms that have both audio and cameras. The rest has been designed as a domestic house so that it can be used to carry out crime scene investigations.

Since starting the professional policing course I have become interested in the relationship between the police and minority communities. The majority of police officers are white and there is still a stigma around black and minority ethnic people interacting with the police. Because of this, community relations is an area I’m really interested in and I have been able to choose modules that reflect this. After I’d researched and written an assignment on ‘stop and search’ powers, I realised this is the career path I want to take.

During the degree I have had the opportunity to do a placement with a charity for victims of crime. I also won the department’s ‘Best Student’ award last year for achieving the highest overall grades which meant a lot to me. There were some senior officers at the awards ceremony for this and so it was a great opportunity to network and make contacts for the future.

Getting information from experienced people helps you understand what’s genuine and what isn’t. Edge Hill has very close links to the local Police forces and we’ve had the opportunity to meet and learn directly from several senior officers during the course. An example of this is that a recently retired Detective Inspector from Merseyside Police did our interview training. This provided a valuable insight into real-life policing, and speaking to them has made me want a career in Policing even more.