Scotland has maintained its position as a world leader in the training of police officers and others working in the criminal justice sector.
The Police Scotland College at Tulliallan has retained its recognition as a Credit Rating Body (CRB) under the Scottish Credit and Qualifications Framework (SCQF), which will benefit all of the Police Scotland College Network.
The ability to credit rate programmes of learning also extends to member organisations within the Justice Sector, including Skills for Justice, voluntary organisations, and other “Blue Light” services, and the College is one of only six organisations in Scotland, outwith the SQA and Further/Higher Education sector to be awarded such status.
Welcoming the award, Chief Superintendent Davie Flynn, Head of Training, Leadership and Development said: “This continues to raise the profile of police training within the Scottish educational system and has allowed our approach to training to be used as an exemplar to other educational bodies and organisations.
“Police Scotland has a number of first-class training facilities across the country – at Tulliallan, Jackton, Dundee, Edinburgh, Aberdeen, Penicuik, Dumfries and Inverness – which provide a continuous professional development service to all police officers and staff throughout their career.
“This starts with their first two years probation and continues throughout their career, extending beyond our portfolio of operational policing skills into areas such as leadership development, people management skills, equality and diversity, career planning, and talent management.
“While probationer training has been carried out at Tulliallan for many years, it is only part of the service we provide across the Police Scotland College Network. A wide range of additional courses are delivered to police officers and staff throughout their service, as well as students from a broad range of external agencies.
“One proposed project is to train local authority staff on initial investigation techniques for potential fraudulent housing/benefit claims, and we also have an enviable reputation for providing training internationally, which helps offset the cost of training our own staff.”
The facilities at Tulliallan include a TV studio and a court room, allowing for professional broadcast-quality materials to be produced and realistic training to be provided for people who may be required to give evidence as part of their job, such as Children’s Panel members, social workers, scientific examiners and probationer officers.
In addition, the modern facilities available at our Jackton facility are used to deliver public order command and other specialist training courses.
Staff from the Police Scotland College Network also train officers from other police forces in the UK and abroad, and have been engaged by the UK and Scottish Governments to design and deliver training courses in countries throughout the world.
They have assisted in the development of community based policing techniques in Malawi and have worked with organisations in countries as far afield as South Sudan, Pakistan and the Maldives to enhance knowledge and skills in leadership, crime scene management and road collision investigation.
Teaching staff worked in partnership with the Scottish Qualifications Authority to deliver a range of bespoke qualifications that have assisted overseas Police and law enforcement organisations to enhance the management abilities of their officers, as well as broadening their understanding of new policing philosophies, community safety techniques and ethical policing practices.
Staff from Tulliallan have also supported the Police Authorities in Bhutan and across the United Arab Emirates to increase awareness of the problems associated with child abuse within their respective countries in order to keep people safe.
Aileen Ponton, CEO of the SCQF Partnership said: “We are delighted that the Police Scotland College continues to meet the robust requirements for Credit Rating Body status. They bring to the Framework a wide range of qualifications for serving officers which continues to support the development of a key sector for Scotland.
“In addition, it has been excellent in providing mentoring for other organisations considering credit rating status and explaining what they had to do to embed all of the necessary policies and procedures to meet our criteria and principles.”
John Foley, Chief Executive of the Scottish Police Authority, said: “Tulliallan is synonymous with police probationer training but this is just a small part of what is provided by Police Scotland.
“The Police Scotland College Network has, for many years, undertaken a valuable role working alongside UK and Scottish Governments to develop policing techniques in a number of countries overseas. That experience, combined with the recognition offered as a Credit Rating Body under the SCQF, provides assurance that our training is of a high quality which is invaluable in marketing the training services to external customers.”
Mr Flynn added: “Police Scotland is a major employer, with over 25,000 officers and support staff dedicated to keeping people safe. As such, we have a constant turnover of staff and there are regular opportunities for people to join and progress their careers.
“This is particularly relevant at this time of year when many young people, with fresh exam results, are looking at career options, and we are responding to this by developing ‘Pathways to Policing’, a new approach to probationer training that will continue to focus on the operational role of an officer on the streets of Scotland through immersion in a variety of learning experiences that address the needs of our communities.
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