Sixteen trainee officers will study at Havering College of Further and Higher Education at Ardleigh Green as part of the new initiative. This may be an option for training Met officers in the future.

The trainee officers will take part in a non-residential course after an initial five weeks of training at Hendon. The officers will then undertake training within the community they are about to serve, utilising training sites within the borough. Previously all student officers undertook an 18-week training course at a police training centre, before completing their initial training in the workplace. Like the national pilot at Camden, the new programme is part of a more proactive-based learning and community-focussed drive for 21st century officer training which is aimed at modernising and improving the Foundation Training Programme given to new recruits.

Youth culture

Sgt Trevor Valentine, from the Modernisation Project Team, said: “I believe student police officers will gain a better understanding of ‘youth culture’ with day-to-day interaction with young people at a very early stage of their careers. Involving non-police students in role plays and training scenarios will also give young people a unique opportunity to learn with the police students – making the experience to the benefit of both parties.”

It is anticipated that one of the benefits of training in a mainstream college is it should allow officers to foster close links with other students, helping to improve relations and dispel any negative feeling that might be held towards the police.

As part of the initiative, Sgt Valentine invited a student from Havering College to take part in the diversity training undertaken by officers at Hendon. The individual, who was from an ethnic minority, then communicated the positive aspects of this to his fellow students.

Student officers have also been able to train alongside students from the college’s public services course. The non-police students were used in role play exercises and there will be reciprocal training sessions carried out at Hendon in the future.

Noel Otley, Havering College principal, said: “This is an exciting partnership between the college and the Met. We are delighted Havering is involved and believe the college shall gain a wealth of benefits.

“Trainee police officers and police trainers will now be on our campus. We feel our students’ involvement in the course will not only ping the officers greater knowledge of the community they will be policing, but it gives our young people the chance to better understand the police service.”

Familiar

Met training guidelines place emphasis on the importance of police officers having a thorough understanding of the environment in which they serve, and training officers in their own boroughs is seen as an excellent way of achieving this. It also gives the Service an opportunity to show transparency in training by using the community as a learning site.

Sgt Valentine said: “This is the first time initial training has been conducted outside of a recognised police training centre. Although this is a small step towards building a better understanding between police and the communities they serve, it should be seen as a huge step in the right direction.”