The perceptions of new to role detective officers in relation to their professional accreditation in a northern police service

This thesis analyses the professional accreditation of new to role detective officers between June 2010 and September 2013 who were studying for a foundation degree through a local university whilst engaged on a police Professionalising Investigation Programme (PIP) situated in a northern police service. It considers the perceptions of the trainee detectives learning experience in relation to professional development and questions their experience regarding their overall work-based learning placement. Higher education and culture are both individually and organisationally explored regarding the effect on the trainee detective along with the concepts of profession, professionalisation and professionalism that are examined in the wider context of policing which are then contextualised to the PIP process and perspectives of the trainee detective. An initial survey questionnaire revealed themes inclusive of supervisory and organisational issues regarding learning cultures and placement with tutors in the workplace. These were further refined for the interview stage. This thesis then utilised Bourdieu’s concepts of habitus, field and cultural capital and Lave and Wenger’s Community of Practice (CoP) as analytical tools to understand the perceptions and the participation of the trainee detective in a work-based environment. Though for some trainee detectives their learning experience presented a positive outcome, for others, feelings of isolation and conflict, influenced and routed by organisational culture to learning were apparent. The trainee detectives therefore experienced a diverse programme of professional development and inequality of process, yet demonstrated resilience even though for some their placement in investigation departments was not construed as a haven of peace. This thesis argues that the PIP programme, and the collaboration with a local university, provided an overall opportunity for continuous professional development for the trainee detective enhancing their cultural capital whilst increasing the status of the police service as a more professional and structured organisation.