Since the start of the Autumn term, approximately 90 students have attended events and presentations on Police Horizons.
The Horizons course was very kindly opened by Lancashire Police and Crime Commissioner Andrew Snowden, who discussed his role in Lancashire. It was interesting to learn how the budget is divided into different areas of priority throughout Lancashire as well as how Andrew loves to get involved with the nitty gritty police work including drugs raids, public order and dog training. Following on from this, students had the pleasure of meeting PC Crowther and his Police Dog Nigel, who talked about the use of police dogs in Lancashire and how they are a massive asset to the team.
In addition to this, our local Neighbourhood Policing Team visited our students – Sergeant Angela Atkinson and Police Community Support Officer James Slater, who focussed on local issues such as anti-social behaviour as well as current entry routes into PCSO and PC roles. Students then had the opportunity to visit Lancashire Force Control Room where they witnessed the day to day runnings of the control room, along with meeting an ex-student from last year who is now happily taking emergency and non-emergency calls from the citizens of Lancashire.
Our students also had the chance to meet two Sergeants from the Traffic Collisions Investigations team, who delivered a powerful talk on fatal and life changing road traffic collisions on our roads of Lancashire. The students learned that in the most awful of circumstances, getting justice for the victims and their families is at the forefront of this role. Finally, as part of our Meet the Services week, students were lucky enough to meet 9 of our frontline public servants as well as university lecturers. A huge thank you to our colleagues at Lancashire Constabulary for all of your efforts in ensuring our students gain a real life insight into the different roles within policing.
Our Police Horizons Academy provides knowledge on key legislation with the opportunity to gain practical skills via role plays covering lawful stop and searches and carrying out lawful arrests. Students also investigate case studies to give them some background knowledge into the history of policing. They will learn about the recruitment process and what will be expected, with the opportunity to practice the fitness test that is required to pass upon entry into the police. More information can be found in our Horizons booklet below.