Researcher lends a helping hand to Volunteer Police Cadets scheme

A NATIONAL scheme organised by the Metropolitan Police for youngsters interested in joining the police force has been given a helping hand by a PhD researcher from the University of Huddersfield. 

Monika Baylis is a criminology researcher from the School of Human and Health Sciences and has been working with the Kirklees division of Volunteer Police Cadets (VPC), a nationally recognised youth group for teenagers aged 13 – 18 years old. 

The scheme is currently the fastest growing uniformed youth group in the country with the Cadets taking part in a two-year programme which includes completing the Bronze and Silver Duke of Edinburgh awards. 

The youngsters meet once a week for various activities, workshops, inputs and team building sessions to give them valuable life skills and an insight into modern day policing and partnership work.  Monika’s sessions covered the topics of criminology, the jury service, police discretion/decision making and the role of the police.  

The Police Cadet Leader for Kirklees, PC Paul Jackson, is part of the Kirklees Police Division Youth Intervention Team and said Monika had not only given the Cadets a different insight and understanding of law and the consequences but had also helped inspire them to consider studying similar fields at the University. 

“I remember how inspired I was when a Police Officer attended my school to deliver some sessions,” said PC Jackson. 

“It’s important that we can relate to young people and encourage them to do positive work in their community with a view to making them positive adults which may then generate an interest in the Police or similar roles as a future career choice,” he said.

Poland’s Police Academy 

In addition to the UK-based research, Monika Baylis was personally invited by the European Union Agency for Law Enforcement Training (CEPOL) to deliver an online seminar to over 200 officers from Poland’s Police Academy. 

The Academy leads research on policing in Poland and hosts a variety of courses for law enforcement officials from across Europe to attend and learn from developments in the profession outside of their own countries. 

Monika covered British policing and current issues including knife crime and terrorism and the seminar was organised by the Police Academy’s Institute of Legal Sciences in the Faculty of Security and Legal Sciences.  The seminar, as stated by the police college, ‘was met with great interest of the academic community of the Police Academy in Szczytno’. 

Prior to that, CEPOL invited Monika to be a part of a five-day residential training programme hosted by the Police Academy. The aim of the course was to develop a multidisciplinary approach in the fight against trafficking in human beings with participants attending from the Police, Prosecutor's Office, Courts and Ministries of Justice from member states across the European Union. 

Monika has been delivering courses to Polish police for over two years and the feedback received has been so impressive that Monika is now registered by CEPOL as an official trainer, which she explained is a huge accolade to achieve amidst her doctoral research.

Earlier in the year Monika had her research published by the international journal Police Practice and Research.  The article entitled ‘Tracking the evolution of police training and education in Poland: linear developments and exciting prospects’ covered an introduction into Polish Police, an overview of their training regime and a critical assessment of developments of police training in Poland.