Second-year Level 3 Protective Services students over at North Hertfordshire College’s Hitchin campus have gained practical experience in policing work with a Stop and Search car exercise!
Learners were given a fictional briefing that a vehicle had been linked to a drug deal and that the driver had been previously found with weapons. They were instructed that if they saw the suspicious vehicle, they were to pull it over and follow standard policing procedures. With their task in mind and their learning at the ready, all the students needed was the opportunity to put their understanding to the test. Enter Public Services Tutor and Course Team Leader Dan Bateman and his car, playing the role of the suspect!
Our learners successfully stopped Dan’s vehicle and detained him, explaining the grounds of the search using the GOWISELY methodology – the official guidance for the minimum information a person should be given before a search. The learners then had to carry out a search on Dan and his car for hidden drugs (vitamin tablets in small clear bags) under a time limit.
The activity forms part of the Hitchin Has Fallen series that the second-year students are taking part in to round off their NHC studies. The series, designed by Dan, brings together three of their units into a long interactive unit themed around a fictional terrorist attack on Hitchin. This particular exercise falls under the Criminal Investigation Procedures and Practice unit and allows learners to gain practical experience in a controlled environment.
Tutor Dan Bateman is an ex-police officer himself and uses this experience to enhance his classroom experiences. He told us: “I’m very much into bringing the course content to life as much as possible. When I was at Hendon and doing my own police training, many of the lessons were roleplay-scenario based and it made an impression on me in terms of how much more they sank in for me compared to pure theory-based lessons in the classroom.
“I always intended this project to be a fun way to complete the year, getting them to put everything they have learned into practice.”
We’re looking forward to seeing the next stage of the Hitchin Has Fallen series! Be sure to follow us on Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram for further updates.
If you’re interested in launching your own career in the protective services, check out North Hertfordshire College’s Public Services courses. With NHC, you can stay close to home and access amazing practical experiences, helping you go far in your future career!