If you are thinking of studying at university, but are worried about your qualifications or haven’t studied in a long time, then have you seen Staffordshire University’s Step Up to HE programme? Robyn Leese, now a Policing and Criminal Investigation student, is one of many of our undergraduate students who progressed through the programme and has shared with us what she thought of it.

What motivated you to apply for Step Up?

I applied to the Step-up Course after doing 2 A-levels which did not guarantee me a place on my desired course. During the Step-up course you will develop new skills which help you progress in your higher education course.

How do you feel now you have progressed onto your degree? Did Step-up help prepare you?

Now I have completed the 1^st year of my degree I am glad I did the Step-up course as it enabled me to learn new skills which have been needed for my course such as, correct grammatical techniques along with learning how to reference correctly. It also gave me the confidence to interact with new people which has benefitted me not only with my course, but outside the lectures too.

Would you recommended the Step-Up Course? What advice would you give to students considering returning to education?

I would definitely recommend doing the Step-up course, as it has helped me with my course and all the members of staff are so lovely and supporting through the whole process. If you are a student returning to education then I would advise you to interact with those on your course, as well as your lecturers as it makes it so much more fun and easier. I would also advise you to take as many opportunities as you can as it will make your university experience so much better.

Dr Leanne Savigar-Shaw, Lecturer in Policing, discusses why people multitask when driving and the implications for the Police.

For many of us, it is difficult to keep up with the demands of daily life – to complete all work-related tasks, to provide childcare, to keep up with our social lives, keep up with an exercise regime and still walk the dog at the end of the day. There are so many possibilities for activities in a single day, so much that we feel we must achieve, and yet seemingly so little time in which to achieve it. We feel hurried, under time pressures to complete tasks and consequently, stressed at the thought of it all. Some academics describe this as an acceleration of the pace of life. We might respond by either reducing the amount of time spent on each activity – by cutting the amount of time we spend with relatives, or attending one gym class rather than two. Or we might perform tasks simultaneously, multitasking to achieve more than one outcome within the same amount of time – we might walk the dog and call a friend at the same time.

Another area where multitasking has been observed is within vehicles – performing more than one task when driving to save time or relieve some sense of the pressure associated with this accelerated pace of life. Drivers have been found to use the car as an extension of the office, making phone calls to contact colleagues and clients, to prevent their loss of custom or income through work. Drivers have also been caught contacting family via video call to make the most of their time when so much of it is spent driving as part of their working day. Mobile phone use while driving has been found to increase over recent years, despite the issue of multitasking while driving in this way having the potential to produce significant consequences. Drivers have even been caught performing extremely private acts whilst driving – with the vehicle sometimes perceived as a private space not unlike our own homes. Where we struggle to find time for activities that bring us joy, time spent driving may be increasingly perceived as time wasted; time that we could spend doing those things we enjoy, or making time for those things by performing activities we have to do whilst we are driving.

This has implications for policing – policing of the roads becomes evermore difficult in a society that encourages people to multitask, particularly where time spent driving is perceived to be time ‘wasted’. This is simply one of a multiplicity of sensitives in relation to the policing of the roads – it is perhaps more complex than meets the eye.

Lecturer in Policing, Dr Leanne Savigar-Shaw has written a post about the concerns around the manner of driving during lockdown and how the change in lifestyle may impact road safety moving forward.

There have been recent concerns around the manner of driving during lockdown, particularly in relation to speeding, with the MET police lead for road safety highlighting the potential implications that could have on the NHS in already pressing times. Having recently hosted a seminar around driver distraction, I have been left wondering how this change in lifestyle many of us have experienced, and the changes in road user behaviour reported, may impact upon our road safety moving forward.

Our relationship to the roads context has changed greatly during the period of COVID-concern and lockdown. We are using vehicles less, but encouraged to walk to aid our mental health. Our relationships to people and work have also changed; conversations with family have taken place using mobile phones and other technologies, work has been conducted via laptops and computers. Indeed, my own work has all taken place using a laptop as lectures have been delivered remotely and meetings have taken place online. This may have long-term benefits – work that can be conducted remotely or communication that can take place online may continue to do so in some respect.

At some point, however, we will be released from ‘lockdown’, many people will recommence travelling to and from a place of work, travelling to visit relatives, and travelling for holidays throughout the UK. The number of vehicles on UK roads will again increase. Will the increases in speeding that we have recently observed continue? People who haven’t driven a vehicle for a significant period of time may be returning to the roads. Their confidence may be reduced, with the potential to influence how they drive on the roads. Those who have only driven short journeys may again be taking long journeys. Will their concentration be hindered? Are they at greater risk of becoming tired or drowsy while driving?

Relating specifically to the issue of driver distraction, those who have become increasingly accustomed to the use of technology, and have a new routine for communication via video call, may believe that they have to continue that routine alongside the task of driving. Rather than being more focused on the task of driving in a time where it is likely necessary, are drivers going to be more distracted? Will those drivers who have been in contact with colleagues at any point of the day via email or video conference during lockdown feel inclined to answer a communication from those same individuals, even when they are in their vehicles?

There are lots of questions for police forces and other organisations to consider in relation to their roads policing strategy and to ensure that individuals remain safe on the roads in the coming weeks and months as we continue through this strange period of time.

Senior Lecturer and Course Leader for the BSc Policing and Criminal Investigation degree, Ian Ackerley reflects on the role of police during the Covid-19 pandemic. 

Sunday 19^th April 2020 represented nine years since my beloved football team Stoke City played a memorable FA Cup semi-final at Wembley Stadium beating Bolton Wanderers 5-0, an important detail for the near 50,000 Stokies who travelled south to London that day.

At a loss for something useful to do during the current lockdown I watched some footage of the build up to the game revelling in the atmosphere whilst at the same time looking with incredulity at how close everyone was in an age where there was no concept of or need for social distancing. After 34 years as a police officer and more recently as a university lecturer in policing, the images of people celebrating success caused me to reflect on how quickly times have changed.

It is a tribute to the resilience, adaptability and sense of fair play of communities that the police have not had an even tougher job in responding to the new norms of social order which for the most part appear to have been respected impeccably. The service has approached its duties with the pragmatism that those of us who have served would expect. The Service’s strategy of Engage, Explain, Encourage and Enforce is perfectly reasonable combining and passing the Human Rights Act 1998 tests of legality, necessity and proportionality. In addition, where officers have made mistakes whether well intentioned or foolishly the police have responded and apologised with good grace and in a timely manner.

Against this backdrop it is sad that the prevailing narrative has, in some parts of the press, been dominated by a portrayal of the police as idiotic, overzealous and hypocritical. Such approaches at worst deny and at best fail to recognise the commitment of officers and police staff the length and breadth of the country. Whilst crime as a whole may have dropped, the complexity of domestic abuse, child protection and online criminality adds massively to the myriad tasks being undertaken by officers and staff. The service has acted both proactively to identify breaches of the regulations and reactively to multiple calls from the public concerned about individuals and groups not complying with the social distancing rules.  Police officers and police staff have played and continue to play a unique and vital part in ensuring that people stay at home, protect the NHS and save lives.

Whenever the new normality emerges from the containment of Covid-19 there will, amongst many other things,  be reflections, recriminations, structured debriefs and inevitably a public enquiry. From my knowledge of the Police Service I am certain that it will embrace and respond to their conclusions.

One of our staff members is currently volunteering as a Special Constable to help the police forces during this difficult time.

Source: https://www.flickr.com/photos/29108968@N06/2904708084

Why did you decide to join?

I had friends who were joining and explained about it. I thought it was a great opportunity to give back in a practical way, with my forensics and law experience. I spent a lot of time talking to police officers and I thought it was a good opportunity to give back to the police forces.

Why do you think a Special Constable’s role is important?

People don’t tend to see what Special Constables do from the outside and don’t know what it means to be a Special Constable. You get an immense feeling from helping someone. People have seen so much of what the NHS are doing to help [with the current Covid-19 situation] but they don’t always see what the police are doing. Teams are self-isolating or becoming ill, so they are relying on [Special Constable volunteers] who are not working, and it is nice that everyone has come together.

What has changed since Covid-19 in relation to your role as Special Constable?

Evening shifts are different with the night-time economy of bars and pubs being closed. The streets are quiet but lots of people are driving more irresponsibly because of it being quiet. There has been an increase in domestic violence and mental health issues. Services are relying on the police where they are unable to help and domestic violence victims do not have any respite because of lockdown.

Is there anything you would like to add?

It is a brilliant opportunity. I have trained with people from different jobs from banks to teachers. Anyone can do the job; it teaches you a lot about yourself and gives you new skills. I have developed my communication skills and become more confident. It is something you should consider, even if for one day or evening a week.

Supporting victims of domestic abuse this Christmas – Adam Greenslade, Lecturer in Policing

Adam Greenslade – Lecturer in Policing

Tragically, over the course of 20 years operational policing experience I have learned that whilst the festive season is a time of good cheer, celebration and family unity for many, behind even the most brightly decorated front doors you can find the darker side of Christmas – Domestic Abuse.

Christmas is a season that brings with it increases in alcohol consumption and added financial strain, it can heighten existing family tensions or feelings of isolation for the elderly or perhaps those coping with a young family alone.

Sadly, all too often, these pressures can escalate, and we see a rise in domestic incidents over the holiday season.

There is no stereotypical victim of domestic abuse, it can affect anyone, regardless of wealth, gender, age, sexuality or ethnicity. It can occur between partners, it can occur between siblings, it can occur between parents and children or other family members, regardless of age. It takes many forms, emotional abuse, controlling behaviour, verbal insults, threats even outright physical violence or sexual assault.

Domestic abuse is a crime. Whatever guise it takes, it’s unacceptable at any time of the year but it’s important to recognise the festive season as well as bringing that rise in frequency, can also intensify the impact of these offences – not only for the victim concerned but also on others in that environment who perhaps witness or are in proximity to that behaviour.

I’m proud to be able to share my extensive professional experience of tackling domestic abuse as we train the police constables of the future here at Staffordshire University so that they can work to protect us, our community and those who need it most.

Whilst this training is important, sometimes the police need their communities, us, to alert them to abusive situations. We all have a role to play in stopping domestic abuse.

The holiday season is a time for celebration, but I feel it’s important to reflect for a moment and remind people who are either themselves the victim of domestic abuse or have a friend, neighbour, relative or loved one who may be affected that they do not have to suffer alone or stand by and watch others suffer in silence.

You can find an extensive list of national support services online at citizensadvice.org.uk. You can contact your local police in a non-emergency by calling 101, online via their website, or by visiting a police station in person.
But remember, if you are in danger, need help in an emergency, or you witness an incident that’s ongoing, call the police on 999.

Nobody deserves to be a victim. Let’s stop abuse in our community, together, and make 2020 the start of a better future.

At the start of October, BSc Policing and Criminal Investigation graduate, Jack Colton, shared the fantastic news about his new job with Cheshire Constabulary. 

“I started employment as Communications Operator in the Force Control Centre at Cheshire Constabulary.

Some of the equipment our students use to gain practical, hands-on experience 

I’d just like to say that these past 3 weeks of training have demonstrated just how appropriate and effective the content of the course was. I’m in a position where I am familiar with most things being covered in terms of law; whereas other graduates from criminology courses are not.

Visitors at the Crime Scene House on an Offer Holder Day

I’d also like to say a big thank you to the all the staff that organised the content of the course and delivered the lectures. It’s only just become obvious how suitable and useful the content learnt is now that I can apply it to my work.”

BSc Policing and Criminal Investigation Course Leader

Congratulations Jack!