More than 35 second-year students studying Sociology and Criminology at the University of Westminster got the opportunity to see what it is like to train to be an officer or detective in the Metropolitan Police Service and gained valuable insights into policing.
This is the second year that this collaboration between the University’s School of Social Sciences and the Metropolitan Police Service (Met) has taken place. The students involved attended a seven-day placement, travelling to the Met’s Hendon training college and New Scotland Yard.
During the placement, the students spent time with police recruits and heard from the officers and detectives working in priority policing areas such as Neighbourhood Policing, Violence Against Women and Girls, Youth Engagement and Counter Terrorism.
Two of the placement days were spent exploring how police officers interact with vulnerable people and how dedicated those at the Met are to improving how they communicate with neuro-diverse people and other marginalised communities.
While there, the students especially enjoyed learning about Forensics as they were able to put what they had learned on their course into practice in crime scene rooms.
Reflecting on the placement experience, one of the students said: “The placement exceeded my expectations, and working in a team with trainee police officers changed my perception of the Met. This is the first time I have experienced the Met reaching out to minority communities.”
Another student spoke of how she was supported to attend the placement and said: “I had never imagined there would be a place for me on the scheme as a foreign student, and I am now being mentored as I write my application to the Met.”
A third student shared how the placement changed her career plans. She said: “I was planning to become a counsellor but as a result of the placement I learnt that there is a lot of pressure on police officers, and they would benefit from counselling support. My career plan now is to bring counselling to the Met.”
The 36 students who were involved attended an awards ceremony on Tuesday 28 May, where they were presented with their placement certificates by Inspector Nikki Clarke-Rogers, who is responsible for the scheme, Sam Homer, who ran the placement, and Professor Dibyesh Anand, the Deputy Vice-Chancellor for Global Engagement and Employability at the University.
At the ceremony, Professor Anand said: “This scheme is important in introducing change within both the University and the Met as it provides opportunities for productive exchanges and encourages under-represented communities to consider careers in the Police force, making them more inclusive.”
Inspector Nikki Clarke-Rogers, who leads the scheme for the Met, said: “This opportunity has allowed students to see the importance of how we are engaging and working with our London communities.”
The placement is facilitated by Dr Umit Cetin and Laura Grindon from the Work-Based Placement Learning team at the University. For them, the scheme is a model partnership that benefits both the students and the Met’s desire to encourage students from diverse backgrounds to consider a future career in the police service. The placement will therefore continue in the next academic year.
This partnership directly contributes to the United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 4: Quality Education and 17: Partnerships for Goals. Since 2019, the University of Westminster has used the SDGs holistically to frame strategic decisions to help students and colleagues fulfil their potential and contribute to a more sustainable, equitable and healthier society.
Find out more about Criminology and Sociology courses at the University of Westminster.
