STUDENTS at Evesham College put police officer trainees through their paces at a special event.
A group of 19 officers in training from the Warwickshire Police and West Mercia Police forces visited the Davies Road college to test their knowledge and skills in ‘Stop and Search.’
Level two and three public services students were split into groups and some were given suspicious items to hide to test the police officers’ training in stop and search techniques.
The officers were under the close eye of their training managers to make sure they followed correct procedure. They also attended feedback sessions with the students, where any issues were addressed to ensure they were applying the law correctly.
Public Services lecturer Nikki Jones said: “We were delighted to welcome the trainee officers here to Evesham College.
“It’s a unique experience for our students, some of whom may be hoping for a career in the force. They gained great insight into the knowledge and skills police officers need to deal with the public in what could be a difficult situation.”
Damian Elcock, training manager for West Mercia Police, added: “These officers are on week 15 of 17 of their training, so an experience like this is vital for them.
“They can practice their techniques on myself and fellow trainers, but today has meant they can try it out on people they don’t know, who may react differently.
“The students did a great job, behaving as we’d asked them to and being extremely professional about it. It was an invaluable experience for our officers, and I hope the students got a lot out of it too.”
College student Taylor Munro said: “It was a really good experience, although a bit intimidating at first.
“It was interesting to be ‘arrested’ – as it helps you understand how other people might feel in that situation.
“As we’re studying Public Services, it was great to be involved in helping to train the new police officers, to see how they were watched and assessed.”
