The myth has gained currency in some circles that our course is only for police officers. Nothing could be further from the truth. These days we usually only have one or two police officers on the course. In the early days we had a higher proportion but these days police forces do not seem to have the resources to send people as they once did. Therefore the majority of people on the course have degrees in the Social Sciences. But ours is a real world course, we deal with matters that have an existence outside of undergraduate lecture theatres and university laboratories. In particular, of course, we deal with the police, the courts, criminal activities and associated matters which most undergraduates, happily, have no direct experience of. Therefore, we think that the more knowledge and experience have that gives them experience of the justice system and the criminal process the more they will be able to make mature sense of the topics we study on the course. We therefore see what opportunities applicants have availed themselves of to gain some direct contact with crime and justice. Further, as people on the course are often moving towards professional careers in this area it is good that they have had some real world contact that has encouraged them to think that they will be happy in this milieu and are not basing their ideas on the fiction that fills our televisions. The more such experience people have had that they can draw on the better, but we know how difficult it is to gain such experience and do not prescribe exactly what it must be. Sadly, we get so many requests for help or guidance on what people can do in this regard that we cannot possibly provide this guidance as a general service.

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