Welcome to your Leadership of Policing course

Welcome to your Leadership of Policing degree at University of Staffordshire. We are looking forward to you joining us on the course. We realise you may have lots of questions before starting your postgraduate studies, but your course leader is only an email away, should you need anything.

First activity

In your induction week we will be preparing you for your learning and introducing you to your teaching team, the virtual learning environment we will be working within and most importantly, getting to know each other.

Getting this environment right is really important because we need to be comfortable when sharing our experience, practice and ideas; peer to peer learning is just as important as taught input.

Your first modules will introduce research, supported by academic writing inputs from our brilliant online library and ethics within policing. All planned sessions will be recorded, so don’t be concerned if you can’t make a session.

Additionally, for the first month of your course, your course leader will hold a weekly seminar to address any initial issues. Outside of this you can contact your course leader at any time.

The programme is very much about looking to the future leadership requirements so we will also be exploring your thoughts and reflections about the suggested pre-reading and your experiences of leadership in both context and concept. This method of reflective learning is the corner stone for our collective learning.

Course delivery

All of your learning for this programme will be delivered online using Teams as your virtual learning environment. This allows for a flexible approach to your learning, access to learning material, your tutors and lectures to support you throughout.

This platform also allows you to communicate your fellow students and create a mutually supportive community of practice.

If you haven’t used Teams before you will also be able to seek advice from a dedicated learning technologist to address any concerns, that you might have. Before your induction week, you will contacted by your learning technologist to support your digital onboarding.

Before You Start

Take a look at the College of Policing's report about the future of policing: Policing in England and Wales: Future Operating Environment 2040

Also consider the Police Foundation Leadership roundtable report

The Casey Report

And formulate some thoughts about the role of leadership in policing.

Equipment and software

You will need to have access to a reliable computer or laptop, but you will be provided with the latest Microsoft 365 software to support your learning. You can discuss this with your learning technologist during your digital onboarding.

Download software

Meet the team

Darren Walsh

Lecturer

I am a lecturer within the Institute of Policing, as well as a module leader for Advanced Policing Practice. I am the module leader for Ethics and Accountability on the MSc in Police Leadership.

Darren's profile

Dr John Lamb

Senior Lecturer

John's research expertise focuses on areas including counter terrorism, radicalization, intelligence services and use of force by state officials. His PhD examined policing, national security and the implementation of PREVENT in the West Midlands.

John's profile

What to expect on Welcome Week

We're so excited for you to join us on campus and to welcome you to where you matter. During your welcome week you'll be able to meet our friendly student services teams, connect with new friends, join societies, explore on-campus venues attend club nights and much more.

We are really looking forward to you joining the School of Law, Policing and Forensics in September. If you have any questions, please contact your Course Leader, James Holyoak: James.Holyoak@staffs.ac.uk

for Career Prospects

Whatuni Student Choice Awards 2025

for Social Inclusion

The Times and Sunday Times Good University Guide 2026

for First Generation Students

The Mail University Guide 2026

in the UK for Games Education

Rookies Games Design and Development 2023, 2025

TIGA Best Games Institution 2024, 2025

of Research is “Internationally Excellent” or “World Leading”

Research Excellence Framework 2021

of Research Impact is ‘Outstanding’ or ‘Very Considerable’

Research Excellence Framework 2021