General Policing Issues

Diploma in Police Services Leadership and Management

As part of the development of the Diploma in Police Services Leadership and management and at the request of the Scottish Police Federation the Project Team undertook to develop a list of Frequently Asked Questions. These have been put to the Consultative Committee and, while they are still being developed, they do offer more information on the diploma. These questions are listed below:

 

1. What is the Diploma in Police Service Leadership and Management?

 The Diploma in Police Service Leadership and Management has been developed as a replacement for the Police ( Scotland ) Promotion Examinations. The Diploma programme will be delivered via distance learning and supported tutorials.

 

2. When will it be introduced?

 

The first course of officers undertaking the Diploma will commence in April 2007.

 

3. When will the current promotion examinations be phased out?

 

The current promotion examinations will continue until 2009. As such, the Diploma will run in tandem with the existing system for three years. After the sitting in 2009, there will be no opportunity to sit the current examinations.

 

4. Who can apply to undertake the Diploma?

 

The Diploma is open to serving police officers in Scotland .

In order to seek nomination from their force / agency, officers must have successfully completed their probationer training (minimum 2 years).

Separate arrangements will exist for officers nominated through the Accelerated Promotion Scheme for Graduates (APSG).

 5. Is the Diploma open to Support Staff?

 

No. The Diploma is a qualification designed specifically for police officers. A separate Diploma level qualification is to be developed for support staff.

 

6. How long will it take to complete?

The programme will, ordinarily, take 18 months to complete and will involve a minimum of eight notional hours of study per week. Officers nominated through the Accelerated Promotion Scheme for Graduates will be expected to complete the course within 12 months as part of a separate intake.

Prospective candidates should seriously consider the commitment required before applying to undertake the Diploma.

 

7. Who will select officers to undertake the Diploma?

  

Officers seeking to undertake the Diploma must apply through their force / agency who are responsible for selecting and nominating successful applicants.

 

8. How many places will be available each year?

 

Between 400 and 570 places will be available nationally each year. Officers undertaking the Diploma will do so as part of an intake, with separate intakes commencing the programme every ten weeks.

 

9. How many places will be available to my force / agency?

 

Places required will be agreed by forces / agencies annually. Although yet to be fully decided, it is likely that each will be allocated a minimum number of places and the additional places will be divided depending on need.

 

10. Will I need to do the Diploma if I have passed all current promotion exams?

 

No. Both the Diploma and the present promotion examinations will have equal merit as qualifying criteria for promotion.

 

11. What if I have a partial pass in the promotion examinations?

 

If the pass was achieved in the Elementary Examination prior to 1993 you will, as at present, be eligible for promotion up to the rank of Inspector. If you wish to be promoted beyond that, you will either need to pass all the existing examinations by 2009 or achieve a pass in the Diploma.

 

If by 2009 you have not passed all three of the existing examinations in Traffic, Crime and General Police Duties, you will not be qualified for promotion through this pathway and you will need to pass the Diploma to gain qualification.

 

12. If I pass the Diploma, will this be recognised by other forces?

 

Officers passing the Diploma will be eligible to be considered for promotion in any Scottish Force.

 

13. Will it cost me anything to undertake the Diploma?

 

Officers will not have to pay for the Diploma. Some candidates may wish however to purchase text books or additional study material.

 

14. Who will run the Diploma?

 

A dedicated Programme Team comprising a Chief Inspector, four Programme Tutors (two Sergeants and two Support Staff) and two Administrators will manage the delivery of the Diploma. This Team will be based within the Learning Support Division at the Scottish Police College and will be supported by external Markers.

 

The Programme Team aim to guide, support and assist officers through the programme and actively encourage candidates to contact them with any queries.

 

 

15. Will my force / agency have a liaison representative?

 

Yes. Forces / agencies will appoint ‘Representatives' able to provide advice on application, selection and nomination procedures. They will represent candidate views at Examination Committee meetings and liaise closely with the Programme Team in respect of appeals, academic conduct, mitigating circumstances and requests for assessment extensions.

 

16. What subjects are covered in the Diploma?

 

The Diploma programme comprises 9 Higher National units. Candidates commence and conclude the programme by completing an overarching unit: ‘Developing Skills for Personal Effectiveness'. The remaining 8 units are completed sequentially within a framework of 4 Modules as shown below:

 

Policing in Scotland (module 1)	Managing Dilemmas (module 2)
Units Contemporary Policing Professional Knowledge in Policing Criminal Justice System in Scotland	Units Professional Ethics in Policing Decision Making
Achieving Success Through Management (module 3)	Leading People (module 4) .
Units Organisational Management	Units People Management Leadership

 

17. How will my work for the Diploma be assessed?

 

At the end of Module 1, candidates must sit two examinations – one three hour examination covering the ‘Contemporary Policing' and the ‘Criminal Justice System in Scotland ' units and a two hour examination covering the unit on ‘Professional Knowledge in Policing'. The remaining three modules will be assessed through assignments relating to the workplace.

 

At the end of Module 4, candidates must attend a two-day ‘Culmination Event' which will test their knowledge of the course material across a range of simulated exercises.

 

18. What if I am unable to meet an assessment deadline due to ill health etc?

 

Candidates will be advised of dates for the examinations, Culmination Event and submission deadlines for all assignments prior to commencement of the programme. These are mandatory components of the Award and must be completed at the appropriate stages of the programme.

 

If, however, due to circumstances beyond your control, you require to defer the examinations, Culmination Event or an assignment submission deadline, you may make this request. All requests will be considered on an individual basis.

 

19. What if my performance is adversely affected due to personal difficulties?

Provision exists for candidates to present a case of mitigating circumstances. Full supporting evidence, such as a medical certificate from a doctor, must be provided at the earliest opportunity. All cases will be considered on an individual basis.

 

20. Can I get credit for previous qualifications?

 

Yes, however you will be required to prove that your previous learning and the assessment of that learning fully match the outcomes from the relevant unit of the Diploma. This learning will also need to have currency i.e. less than three years since completion.

 

Candidates applying for Accreditation of Prior Learning (APL) will require to pay a fee, which will be subject to variation depending upon current costs.

 

21. Would the Diploma benefit me if I later decide to undertake further studies?

The Diploma is accredited by the Scottish Qualifications Authority (SQA) and validated at Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF) level 8. The programme comprises a total of nine Higher National units, affording 120 SCQF credit points, which builds naturally upon the level 7 Certificate of Higher Education gained by officers successfully completing their probationary training at the Scottish Police College (since September 2003).

The Award furthermore provides development for potential managers that can be used as a foundation for future learning. Opportunity will exist for third year entry to a degree, or honours degree, course to be offered through Stirling and the Open Universities .

 

22. When can I apply to undertake the Diploma?

 

It is anticipated that you will be able to apply for the Diploma once per year between September and December. After candidates have been selected by their force / agency, their details will be forwarded to the Programme Team who will allocate them to a course intake. Intakes will begin from April of the year following.

 

These questions were discussed at the Consultative Committee meeting held at the Scottish Police College on 1 st September 2006. The Vice Chairman representated the Scottish Police Fderation.

 

A number of issues were raised by the Vice Chairman on the above questions as follows:

 

•  He expressed the view that the Diploma favoured those officers in (am – 5pm jobs in that it would be easier for these officers to organise their study time and assignments, than their 24/7 response officers or those would were regularly seconded to major enquiries. This view received NO support from the committee who held varying degrees of opposition from the notion that response officers had more rest days in their shift pattern to organise studies. The Vice Chairman reminded the group that the forces advocated that officers maintain a good work life balance and that this stance on duty study time was at odds with that notion. The ASPS representative presented the view that the forces expected officers to “step up to the plate” when putting themselves forward for the diploma and they should be prepared to study in their own time since the Diploma was free of charge to the officer. Other members of the group intimated that staff had previously studied in their own time and no representation had been made to change that stance. Numerous members recounted how they had studied for qualifications in their own time. The Vice Chairman pointed out that such studies were voluntary and not a pre requirement to promotion. The group agreed to referrer the matter of “managing officers who undertake the diploma” to the next ACPO(S) Training Sub Group.

•  The Vice Chairman questioned the charging of a fee for Acccredited Prior Learning and was told that this was a standard administration fee charged by SQA

•  The attached list of figures of officers obtaining an overall pass in 2005 shows just 166 out of 1993 managed this feat. In 2006 213 out of 1944 managed it. This would tend to suggest that the Diploma figures of 470 – 560 every 18 months should meet the forces needs.

•  This consultative committee meeting was attended by two members of the Scottish Executive Police Division to discuss changes to the legislation to allow the Diploma to become the replacement for the Police Promotion Examinations to allow for this to start in April 2007. It was with some embarrassment that they explained that they could not garantee to make this deadline because any change in legislation had to go through the committee process and then on to the solicitors. The Vice Chairman held the view that it would be highly unlikely that this deadline would be meet and asked the question “How could we ask officers to commit to a course of study which had no enabling legislation to ensure that the study would be rewarded” This matter is being addressed by the project team and the chair of the committee.

•  Forces were asked to circulate any force applications and processes they may have developed.

The difficulty with the legislative deadline has been a major blow to the project team and any updates on this matter or any other matter relating to the Diploma will be circulated to the Joint Central Committee.

 

RJ Milligan

Vice Chairman

Scottish Police Federation