PC0S010 - Introduction to Police Sciences 01 Sep 2022 - 31 Aug 2025 | Version 3

Associated Module Information

Module Code: PC0S010
Module Title: Introduction to Police Sciences
Faculty: Faculty of Life Sciences and Education
Faculty Group: Policing and Criminology
Faculty Sub Group: Policing
Module Leader: Carwyn Evans
Module Team: Daniel Welch, Janine Vickery, Helen Martin
First Intended Intake: SEP 2020 Final Year of Intake: 2025
Date Closed:
Credit Value: 20 Credit Level: 3
Language: English
Percentage of Module Taught in Welsh: 0
Equivalent Module:
HECOS codes: 100486 - policing
HECOS Code Weighting: 100

Document Version Information

Version 3
Valid From 01 Sep 2022
Valid To 31 Aug 2025

Module Aims

To introduce pre-degree level students to Police Sciences with a particular emphasis upon developing critical awareness of the difficulties involved in defining and counting crime and evaluating interventions.

To introduce students to the role of the media in constructing the crime problem and the possible ways in which this may fuel fear of crime.

To provide students with a general awareness of major Police Sciences perspectives, and the links these have to the main strategies of Community Orientated Policing.

To introduce students to the Criminal Justice System and to diversity issues in the criminal justice system

Content Summary

The module begins with an introduction to competing definitions of crime and criminality, before providing an overview of the way in which crime is officially counted in England and Wales.

How and why certain crimes are hidden (the dark figure of crime) are outlined and the main methods that have been devised to illuminate this dark figure of crime (i.e. self-report studies and local and national victim surveys) are discussed.

An overview of the main theories and schools of thought within Police Sciences is then provided.

The media's depiction of crime and its link to fear of crime is introduced, before providing an overview of the Criminal Justice System and its component parts.

The main principles of Community Orientated Policing are outlined and examples investigated.

Throughout the module, contemporary critical issues with regards to the concept of crime, and the way in which it is dealt with, are raised.

Learning and Teaching Methods

Activity Type Hours
Practical classes and workshops 40
Independent Study 82
Directed Study 74
Formative Assessment - Independent 4
Total Hours Selected 200

Learning Outcomes

# Learning Outcome
LO1 Demonstrate an awareness of external influences upon policing practices in England and Wales
LO2 Define and explain the impact of crime on individuals and communities

Module Requisites

N/A

Assessment Criteria

Assessment Category Assessment Type Description Duration Word Count Weight (%) Best of? Pass Mark
Asynchronous Assessment Practical Written Work 1 Written assessment based on Policing concepts and principles 0 1200 50 No 40
Synchronous Online Assessment (Exam) Online Closed Book Examination 1 Unseen Examination 60 N/A 50 No 50

Assessment Matrix

Assessment Type Learning Outcomes
LO1 LO2
Practical Written Work 1
Online Closed Book Examination 1

Reading List

Rowe, R. (2018) Introduction to Policing. 3rd Edition. London: Sage Publications Inc

HMICFRS. (2017) Crime-Recording Process. Available at: https://www.justiceinspectorates.gov.uk/hmicfrs/our-work/article/crime-data-integrity/

O’Neill. (2019) Police Community Support Officers: Cultures and Identities within Pluralised Policing. Oxford: Oxford University Press. Available at: https://oxford.universitypressscholarship.com/view/10.1093/oso/9780198803676.001.0001/oso-9780198803676-chapter-1.

Ditton, J and Farrall, S, Mars G and Nelken,D. (2016). The Fear of Crime. Abingdon: Routledge. Available at: https://ebookcentral-proquest-com.ergo.southwales.ac.uk/lib/usw/detail.action?docID=4906781

College of Policing. (2021) Neighbourhood Policing. Available at: https://www.college.police.uk/guidance/neighbourhood-policing