On a Course Reducing the

Abstract:  This report aims, therefore, to usefully catalogue the initiatives that have been introduced by forces to reduce the level of abstractions that have been caused by training. The study, based on a survey of UK forces and focused research in a smaller sample of forces, describes the variety of changes to the provision of training implemented by forces. It emphasises that training is vital for the development of both the police as an organisation and the staff who work within it. The report, however, also notes the importance of balancing training needs against the financial and opportunity costs of providing that training. Improving, or establishing, systems for monitoring abstraction levels and training is highlighted in the report as a good practice. This might enable forces to manage courses more effectively and reduce the peaks and troughs of short-term abstractions. The report also recommends that training should be targeted according to `need not want'. This is likely to require better evaluation of courses and individual training needs, and might highlight the advantages of `disaggregated' modular courses. The innovative use of training venues and alternatives to formal courses (such as distance learning packages) are also identified in the report as useful methods of decentralising training and making better use of available training time. Dr Gloria Laycock Head of Policing and Reducing Crime Unit Research, Development and Statistics Directorate Home Office July 1999 (iii) Acknowledgements The author wishes to thank all those who contributed to the survey be they an interviewee or respondent to the questionnaire. Special thanks are extended to the individuals subjected to a face-to-face interview. My thanks are also due to Matt Varley and Paul Gray of the Henry ...