An initiative between Monash University and Victoria Police that enables students to become a police officer while attaining a criminology degree will see its first student complete the course later this year, with Monash student Jonathan Bingley expected to graduate from the force’s Glen Waverley academy.
The Bachelor of Criminology and Policing is the only course of its kind in Victoria. It delivers a pathway for students considering a career in the police force to also get a university education.
“I have always wanted to be a police officer, but I also wanted to do uni,” Bingley said. “I thought it was a really good opportunity.”
Under the initiative, students completing Monash University’s three-year Bachelor of Criminology and Policing train to be a police member at the academy in their final year.
At the same time they complete their remaining Monash units, gaining not only a criminology degree but becoming a qualified police officer. Students receive a Diploma of Policing as they complete on-the-job training at Victoria Police.
“It’s a great building block for the fundamentals of policing,” said Bingley. “There are specific policing units that really help you understand the issues in the community. It gives you the ability to broaden your understanding of what policing is.”
“Having a criminology degree is helpful for future police officers, providing them with an understanding of the social factors that influence crime and the impact on the community,” said Dr Matt Maycock, Director of the Bachelor of Criminology and Policing degree. “Students can apply the strategic knowledge of crime and justice from their Criminology Degree to real life scenarios once they join the police force.”
