University policing course is praised
A university course helping shape the next generation of police officers has been praised by officials.
The new Professional Policing course, at the University of Sunderland, will allow studentstocovertopicssuchasorganisedcrimeandterrorismas well as spend time in off-thejob training.
It is also the only programme in the country to give students the option to fasttrack their career into policing in just two years.
The course has won the praise of Northumbria’s Police andCrimeCommissioner,Kim McGuinness.
Shesaid:“I’mcommittedto doing everything I can to build our force back up after years of cuts.
“Thepandemichascertainly highlighted just how important our police service is and that’s why by next month our force will have taken on a record total of 459 new officer since April last year.
“Courses like this are a good way for some people to learn more about policing and hopefully go on to using their knowledgetoapplyforallsorts of roles that will contribute towards keeping our region safe.
"Ihopemanyofthiscourse’s studentsgoontoachieveexcellent careers in policing.”
Dr Jeremy Pearson, Senior Lecturer in Policing at the University, and former NorthumbriaPolicedetective,said:“The detective role is vital to the effective investigation of serious crime and PCC McGuinness’s plantoincreasetheirnumbers acknowledges the hard work thatmanydetectivesdoasthey manageincreasingcase-loads.
“I am proud that the Professional Policing degree at the University of Sunderland is providing the next generation of police officers with the essential knowledge required for a successful career.”
Every injury crisis presents an opportunity.
Sunderland were without five senior centre-backs for their Papa John's Trophy semi-final win over Lincoln City last Wednesday evening, and for a youngster catching the eye behind the scenes, that meant a place in the matchday squad for only the second time.
Patrick Almond was part of the group when Sunderland lost 2-1 at Fleetwood Town in the final group game of the contest, and his form in the U23 set-up has continued to impress since then.
The 17-year-old has been part of a side whose results have improved considerably this season, and Lee Johnson believes he can have a bright future at the club.
"It's what we want and it's a great experience for him to be around the boys, to see the manager at half-time getting quite aggressive, but for the right reasons and to be demanding more," Johnson said.
"For him to be around the senior players, getting advice from people like Bailey Wright...
"He's a player that we've identified who could have a bright future, as long as his attitude remains positive.
"He's actually a beast physically, you look at his calves and he's verging on a rugby-player physique. The challenge for him is actually to keep him slim as much as possible.
“But he has footballing ability and he set up a really good goal for Josh Hawkes in the U23s game against Middlesbrough on Monday.
"So he's definitely the kind of player that we want to encourage and nurture."