Police partnership leads to a degree of success

A partnership between Cleveland Police and Teesside University led to four officers donning graduation gowns to celebrate completing an honours degree.

Cleveland Police Inspectors Mark Hall, Tim Blades, Lee Rukin and Paul Haytack completed the BA (Hons) Leadership and Management through work-based study.

The University has been working in partnership with Cleveland Police for ten years, with officers undergoing training with the School of Social Sciences & Law and more recently over the last three years with the University’s Business School.

Inspector Haytack, who works in neighbourhood policing in Hartlepool, said: 'The return to academic work after leaving study at A-levels was a bit of a struggle at times, being outside of our usual comfort zone, but there was a lot of support from the tutors.

'Completing the degree provided an opportunity to gain an academic qualification and gain recognition through our professional work.'

Returning to academic study was less of a culture shock for Inspector Blades, who is based at the University as part of his work in training new Special Constabulary officers.

He said: 'I completed my first degree in civil engineering at the University in 1984 and worked in engineering until I had a change of career to policing in 1986.

'The degree programme was tailor made to each of us, relating to our work and was directly transferable to what we were doing in our daily jobs. The modules in the degree were also a good blend of contemporary and traditional management theories and styles.'

Inspector Hall, who is based in the force’s Ladgate Lane HQ control room, said: 'I’d studied up to A-level and after leaving school joined the Royal Air Force and then the police, so previously didn’t have the opportunity to progress to higher education.

'Working on the degree was very rewarding and the support provided during the degree was excellent.'

Inspector Rukin, who is currently Temporary Chief Inspector of Operations at Hartlepool, said: 'I went from youth football to the army and then into the police, not a college route and I was aware that I needed to understand more of the theory based practice of leadership skills, how to be a good leader.

'It was a personal challenge for me but I was given so much support by the University from such experienced lecturers. I am now looking at the possibility of continuing on to master’s degree.'

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