Met officers become one of the first police forces to take Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention – Designing Out Crime qualification

Officers from the Metropolitan Police Service have become some of the first to undertake a Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention – Designing Out Crime, part of the new generation of accredited qualifications in crime prevention and designing out crime provided by the Police Crime Prevention Academy.
Speaking on behalf of the Academy, the Head of Learning and Development Guy Collyer said, “We first piloted this course with the Met Police in 2018. It is now an accredited qualification which has been jointly developed between the Met and ourselves. This is how I see the future of police learning and development. Bespoke qualifications that take into account local demands.”
Inspector Matt Turner for the Met Police said: “Our Designing Out Crime Officers are all police officers who are passionate about preventing crime and keeping London safe.

“Using proven crime prevention methodologies, this course builds on their policing experience, enabling the officers to dispense expert advice to reduce crime. The accreditation is key to raising the profile, recognition and credibility of our DOCOs.”
The Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention – Designing Out Crime, is a 10-day course, plus completion of a preliminary and post learning assessment work, which is delivered exclusively by the Police Crime Prevention Academy, an approved centre for the awarding body ProQual.
The content for the diploma includes Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) principles and practice; understanding the planning process, laws and procedures; roles involved in the planning and design process; analysis of the built environment products, their standards and use; evaluation of the key elements that prevent and promote crime opportunities; and making effective recommendations for changes to the built or planned environment.
The diploma is aimed at experienced Designing Out Crime Officers, or others in the Police Service, who work in specialist roles and have crime prevention, harm reduction or vulnerable victim protection as their specialism. The Diploma provides the most advanced learning for other organisations, such as Local Authority planners, architects and designers.
Speaking earlier this year at the Secured by Design ATLAS National Training Event, Metropolitan Police Commissioner, Cressida Dick, CBE, QPM spoke passionately about the police service’s commitment to crime prevention. Referencing Sir Robert Peel, founder of the Metropolitan Police, the Commissioner said: “He was very, very clear that crime prevention was our first duty as police people. When I look back to Commissioners before me, right back to when I joined in 1983, I think we would all say that policing is about preventing crime…We start with preventing crime, we all do that and that is our job.”
The new generation of qualifications in crime prevention and designing out crime became available from September 2018 and provide learning and CPD opportunities for those within the Police Service and other public organisations that have a statutory duty around delivering safer communities.  This includes Local Authority departments, Community Safety Partnerships, Fire and Rescue, Health and Probation services.  The qualifications are also available and relevant to private sector businesses, such as security staff and managers, architects and planners.
As well as scheduled national delivery, the qualifications can be delivered locally dependent on delegate numbers and available budget of an organisation.