“HOW does ambiguity affect others?” After a moment’s hesitation, the new recruits propose answers—it leads to “cynicism”, “isolation” and “a loss of trust”. Such questions are not normal fare in police training, which focuses more on procedure than on abstract theorising. But this is the first Police Now summer academy. It represents, says Dave Spencer, the co-founder, “the future of police training.”
In an east London school, 70 participants are taught the basics of policing, but also such things as ethics, interaction with local politics and how to be more resilient. After a six-week course, they will emerge as dedicated ward officers, ready to spend two years as the acceptable face of London’s Metropolitan Police.
Although Police Now offers a new style of police training, it apes other methods of public-sector recruitment. As Mr Spencer puts it, Police Now “stole everything from Teach First,” a scheme to send bright graduates into tough schools. It joins Frontline (for children’s social work), launched two years ago, and Think Ahead (for mental-health social work), which begins recruiting next month. The theft includes marketing to stress the challenges of the job, a short training period and the chance to work elsewhere after a few years.
Teach First has been a considerable success in schools. Some 99% of Teach...Continue reading
via Brian Rushton, A new beat
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