Training Command - Queensland Police Service - Queensland ...

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Photo by Sergeant Clint Hanson, Police Photographic Section Earning your stripes So, you’ve made it through the recruit training, survived the First Year Constable Program—now it’s just a matter of time before you progress up through the ranks, right? Length of service actually has little to do with the number of stripes on your epaulettes. Rather, the QPS has a structured program in place to support each officer’s progress from Constable through to Senior Sergeant. The unit that supports this chapter of a police officer’s journey through his or her career is the Supervisor Development Unit (SDU). SDU Manager Inspector Howard Franklin explained the evolution of the unit. “The Supervisor Development Unit was created in February 2010 as part of the broader restructure of the Human Resource Development Branch into the Education and Training Command. For the first time, all the supervisory programs came under the responsibility of one inspector,” Inspector Franklin said. “The formation of the SDU allowed us to refocus the development of more than 80 percent of our members—the Constables, Senior Constables and Sergeants seeking to progress their careers up to the Senior Sergeant level. “Facilitators work closely together to ensure we have a cohesive and comprehensive curriculum that progressively builds on previous competencies. This synergy ensures the level of delivery is relevant and appropriate for every stage of a student’s progress. “The courses are developed by the unit and tailored specifically to QPS needs, rather than generic learning products that could overlap or leave gaps in knowledge.” Inspector Franklin said as well as revising the course content, the unit was also reviewing the way the courses were delivered. “We are exploring avenues to allow students to complete assessment items within time frames considerate of personal circumstances. This has seen a move away from semester-based learning to self-paced learning for Legal and Management studies and an intensive residential workshop for Sergeants,” he said. The four sections within the SDU—the Constable Development, Legal Studies, Management Studies, and Office in Charge sections— work collaboratively to provide the Constable Development Program, Management Development Program and the Officer in Charge Program. Constable Development Program The Constable Development Program (CDP) is a self-paced three year distance education program specifically designed to prepare constables for the performance of duties at the rank of Senior Constable. Year one focuses on investigative processes, while year two sees students applying those processes to specific investigations. Year three introduces basic management issues, planning, controlling and coordinating serious incidents and concludes with a one-week workshop, conducted at either the Oxley or the Townsville police academies. Upon successful completion of the CDP, participants are eligible 28 PoliceBulletin363
to progress automatically to the rank of Senior Constable. Acting Senior Sergeant Katrina Mason said Constables completing the CDP were offered extra support to keep them motivated during the threeyear period. “The Constable Development Section provides a student support initiative, whereby facilitators from the Brisbane or Townsville offices attend each region twice during a calendar year,” Acting Senior Sergeant Mason said. “Additional support is also provided to more isolated locations such as Palm Island, Longreach, Cape York and Mount Isa District, which includes Cloncurry, Gulf of Carpentaria and Mornington Island. “Members who have completed CDP are also granted credit towards a Bachelor of Policing degree from Charles Sturt University. The university allows CDP graduates to complete five elective subjects at a cost of about $550 per subject. This is a great opportunity to obtain a tertiary qualification at a reduced rate,” she said. Management Development Program The Management Development Program (MDP) comprises three levels, each encompassing a Management Studies and a Legal Studies component. Level 1 is required to be eligible for the rank of Sergeant, level 2 for Senior Sergeant and level 3 for Inspector. The educational focus at each level is targeted at the next rank, ensuring each officer attains the required competence to be eligible to apply for promotion. Levels 1 and 2 are offered by Management Studies Section and Legal Studies Section as part of the Supervisor Development Unit. The underlying driver of MDP is to provide the leadership, supervision and management skills required to not only perform their duties at an optimal level, but also to progress the QPS towards being a better organisation as a whole. The MDP is designed as a distance educational program and the curriculum is comprised of academic based learning materials with a practical application to the Service. Senior Sergeant Alex Hodge, Officer in Charge of the Legal Studies Section, said levels 1 and 2, as well as Foundation Studies, had recently moved to an ‘open’ enrolment system. “This means students can enrol at any time and have 12 months to successfully complete the assigned tasks. This allows greater flexibility to students, but more responsibility for them to complete their assignments within the timeframe,” Senior Sergeant Hodge said. “Another new initiative is the Management Studies in Policing 2 one-week residential workshop. This forms part of the management studies course for level 2, and is compulsory. The inaugural workshop will commence in October 2011, with one scheduled for each calendar month thereafter.” Officer in Charge Program The Officer in Charge (OIC) Program is a competencybased, distance education course that develops participants’ ability to better manage their roles and responsibilities as officers in charge. It provides practical and relevant training, taking into account students’ unique work environments. Senior Sergeant Gai Bolderrow of the OIC Section said the program was mainly aimed at Senior Constables and Sergeants. “The program is designed for current officers in charge or those one rank below who wish to become an officer in charge,” Senior Sergeant Bolderrow said. “It provides an alternative pathway for promotion, as participants who successfully complete one module are granted an exemption from one Management Development Program unit.” The course content develops strategic thinking, problem solving, analysis and an understanding of the Operational Performance Review process. Senior Sergeant Bolderrow said the OIC Program constantly received praise from past students who found Senior Sergeant Sergeant Senior Constable Constable the course relevant, practical and rewarding. One student wrote the following as part of the feedback process. “This program helped me immensely with the duties that I perform as officer in charge. The practical, no nonsense format was a refreshing change. Using the course material, I was able to identify and rectify deficiencies found at my station across a broad range of areas. “Most of the assessments that need to be completed for the course are also required as part of the station risk management or other procedures. In other words, you are not doing things just for the sake of passing the course and then never using it again. Your working papers and gained knowledge can then be incorporated into your station’s procedures for use immediately.” By Paula Hedeman, Media and Public Affairs Branch PoliceBulletin363 29
Page 1 and 2: issue no. 363 october 2011 Educatio
Page 3 and 4: FROM COMMISSIONER ATKINSON Evolving
Page 5 and 6: C O N T E N T S Message from Commis
Page 7 and 8: FROM NEIL ROBERTS MP MINISTER FOR P
Page 9 and 10: The PROVE curriculum has also under
Page 11 and 12: Australia Police, but I was too sho
Page 13 and 14: Friday, and have the option of livi
Page 15 and 16: “Some officers find it difficult
Page 17 and 18: A recruit speaks into his radio, ar
Page 19 and 20: Shaping futures with Northern educa
Page 21 and 22: Sitting on a bench seat in the back
Page 23 and 24: The First Year Constable program is
Page 25 and 26: An important addition to the reside
Page 27: The third phase of detective traini
Page 31 and 32: Creating leaders who make a differe
Page 33 and 34: Senior leaders step-up The step fro
Page 35 and 36: Staff members benefit from training
Page 37 and 38: The team behind ETSP hard at work i
Page 39: Searching for a new car? Limited Of

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