I. K. Pepper

Volunteering to serve An international comparison of volunteer police officers in a UK North East Police Force and a US Florida Sheriff’s Office

Volunteers within the police service are an understudied but invaluable area of policing, both in the UK and the USA. Although across England and Wales there are standardised policies governing the recruitment, training and deployment of volunteer police officers, across the United States there is no national standard for their use. As a result, research comparing and contrasting across these national boundaries is of value. This current study examines similarities and differences of two policing agencies, Cleveland Police in the North East of England, and the Orange County Sheriff’s Office (OCSO) in Florida, USA. Results show that while the agencies have similarities in employment status, gender and experience as a volunteer, OCSO volunteer deputies were older than their Cleveland counterparts, and were much more inclined to participate in volunteer policing because of their past experience as full-time regular police officers.

An exploratory international comparison of professional confidence in volunteer policing

Police volunteers are an important asset to communities and policing agencies but have been relatively understudied. Similar models of police volunteers have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom but these differ in the level of their preparedness and training. This current study utilises vignettes to examine the confidence of volunteer police officers from two agencies, one in the US and one in the UK. Results show that while both groups in the study are confident in their professional ability to handle issues at a policing scene, UK volunteer officers feel less confident about interviewing and administrative paperwork than their US counterparts.

Teaching the College of Policing pre-employment “Certificate in Knowledge of Policing” to undergraduate students

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to assist in identifying the value to the student of the College of Policing approved Certificate in Knowledge of Policing (CKP), whilst identifying some of the challenges encountered by both students and staff. Design/methodology/approach – The research involved students completing self-administered questionnaires both on commencing their study of the CKP and completing the programme. Written student feedback was also collected and a focus group was facilitated with the academic teaching staff. The research approach adopted was aimed at influencing the development of the programme, whilst establishing the value of the CKP to students. Findings – The research suggests that completing the CKP did not significantly influence the students’ career choice, however, it did have a positive impact on the development of their confidence in terms of applying for the role of a police officer. Both staff and students identified the quantity of the knowledge to be taught and lear...

Developing employability for policing: An international undergraduate comparison

How employability is developed in students is of immense importance to the individual and to potential employers. Sharing practice in relation to the development of employability for policing helps shape curriculums to prepare students for their future careers and inform policy makers. Four universities teaching policing undergraduate programmes provided qualitative details of how employability is embedded within their studies. These were compared and contrasted to provide an international comparison. The findings suggest similarities in the ways in which the generic employability skills and broader professional skills, such as ethics and reflective practice, are taught. However, differences in how technical/vocational skills are developed.

Volunteer Police: What Predicts Confidence in Training?:

Volunteer police are used in both the United States and the Unite Kingdom to expand the services provided by full-time police personnel. The models of volunteer policing that have developed in the United States and the United Kingdom are based on the same concept, but differ in their level of operational preparedness and training. The utilization and confidence of these volunteer police in performing the functions of the police has been understudied. This current study builds on previous studies to develop a broader understanding of the confidence in training of part-time volunteer police officers by using a convenience sampling of three U.K. Northern Police Forces and three U.S. Florida Sheriff’s Offices. Results show the impact of individual-level variables on confidence in training preparation, with time since initial training having the largest impact. Later formal professional training appears to have little to no impact on confidence. Limitations and policy implications are discussed.