A new vocational policing degree is set to launch at West Suffolk College from September.

The Professional Policing Degree is designed to teach the theoretical foundations of policing and the practical skills of being an officer.

Suffolk Constabulary’s deputy chief constable, Rachel Kearton, visited Bury St Edmunds campus to mark the new training partnership with the university studies department of the college.

Accredited by the University of East Anglia, the course will be taught by academics and former police officers.

Dr Nikos Savvas, chief executive of West Suffolk College and Suffolk Academies Trust, said: “The policing degree is another excellent addition to our higher education offer for those who want a fully accredited route into a rewarding vocation.

"Collaborating with partners like Suffolk Constabulary to support and serve the community with local police officers is part of the life-blood of what we do as an organisation - putting our students and our community at the heart of everything we do.”

Dept Ch Con Rachel Kearton added: “I am delighted we will be working with West Suffolk College to offer the opportunity for students to gain a degree in policing while undergoing their training to be police officers.

"The college will be one of the first providers of this vocational degree course.

"The Policing Education Qualifications Framework (PEQF) is based on dynamic operational training, underpinned by sound theoretical education.

"This professional qualification is a fantastic opportunity for those who are looking for a career in policing.”

The Professional Policing Degree, also offered by the University of Suffolk and Anglia Ruskin University, became part of a new national framework devised after the existing Initial Policing Learning and Development Programme was deemed no longer fit for purpose by the College of Policing.

The PEQF is part of the ‘Policing Vision 2025’ to ensure policing needs are delivered by a workforce equipped with the skills and capabilities necessary for policing in the 21st century.

Other than the degree, from January 2020, the two routes to policing are a police constable degree apprenticeship and the degree holder entry programme – a graduate diploma in professional policing practice.

The degree will be current for five years from the date of completion and is one route to gain a qualification before applying to become a police officer as a probationary constable.