Change Agents: students informing policing practices

Students and staff from Solent University were delighted to collaborate through a knowledge exchange event with one of the University’s civic partners: Hampshire Constabulary.

As a signatory of Solent’s Civic Charter Hampshire Constabulary work closely with the University to provide opportunities for our student community to learn about the various careers and community campaigns being run by the force.

The event, ‘Change Agents’, provided Solent students with the learning space to help co-create solutions to policing problems with Hampshire Constabulary police officers, academics, and student peers from the University of Southampton. Students studying courses from across the University had the opportunity to apply their degree knowledge, academic techniques, and employability skills to real-life cases through the live simulation. Throughout the day, students discussed various topics, including contemporary issues among young people, how society can positively tackle crime, and the ways in which the police and universities can engage effectively to protect the community.

One of the key elements of the day saw groups work on a case study about violence among young people. Groups discussed what steps have already been taken to address the violence and consulted over what initiatives and activities are and are not working, with a particular focus on key challenges such as resources, intelligence, and accountability. Commenting on the activity Sharath Ranjan from Hampshire Constabulary added “It was fantastic to collaborate with academics from Solent University and University of Southampton to bring our first Knowledge Exchange Event to fruition. The energy, insight and diversity of thought of students from both universities was instrumental in informing policing practice to deal with a problem related to Southampton. Hampshire and Isle of Wight Constabulary looks forward to hosting similar events in future and is grateful for both students and staff at Solent University for their commitment and engagement in this initiative.”

The day closed with storyboard presentations and networking. Commenting on the activity, Laia Auge Poch from Solent’s employability service (Solent Futures) added “The event provided a unique opportunity for students to translate their degree knowledge into impact. From an employability perspective, this event helped students interested in careers in the criminal justice sector to build on their own personal vision, skills, and confidence and better understand how to break into this industry. By working in their inter-disciplinary groups, students their developed graduate skills – such as effective team working, problem-solving and critical analysis.”

Further information on the University’s work with Hampshire Constabulary and other civic partners can be found on our website.