The Scottish Police College is based at
Tulliallan Castle, in
Kincardine Kincardine may refer to:
Places Scotland
*Kincardine, Fife, a town on the River Forth, Scotland
**Kincardine Bridge, a bridge which spans the Firth of Forth
*Kincardineshire, a historic county
**Kincardine, Aberdeenshire, now abandoned
**Kincardi ...
.
Since 1 April 2013, the college has been under the control of
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
.
In addition to probationer training, the college provides training in various specialist areas, such as Road Policing,
Criminal Investigation
Criminal investigation is an applied science that involves the study of facts that are then used to inform criminal trials. A complete criminal investigation can include searching, interviews, interrogations, evidence collection and preserva ...
, and training for newly promoted officers.
The motto of the college is, ''BI GLIC - BI GLIC'', which is the cry of the
oystercatcher
The oystercatchers are a group of waders forming the family Haematopodidae, which has a single genus, ''Haematopus''. They are found on coasts worldwide apart from the polar regions and some tropical regions of Africa and South East Asia. The e ...
which translates from Gaelic as 'Be Wise, Be Circumspect'.
Oystercatchers can be found throughout the grounds of the college. The college's achievement depicts two oystercatchers surrounding the escutcheon of the Scottish Police Service which is in itself surrounded by two books to signify learning.
History
Tulliallan Castle, a 160-year-old mixture of Gothic and Italian style architecture set amid some of parkland just north of where the
Kincardine Bridge spans the River Forth, is the home of the Scottish Police College.
The castle was built for George Keith Elphinstone (Admiral Lord Keith, one time senior officer of Lord Nelson), from money received from prize ships. Construction was carried out by a labour force said to include French prisoners of war.
During the Second World War Tulliallan Castle was used by the Free Polish Army as its headquarters in Scotland.
Prior to the Second World War there was no central training for police officers in Scotland, but immediately thereafter it was decided that probationer constables from all forces should be trained centrally and that some training for more senior officers should also be provided. The result was Tulliallan, purchased in 1950 by the then Scottish Home Department for £9,100. The building was modernised and renovated and the first courses for inspectors and sergeants began in 1954.
Divisions
Probationer Training Division
The Police Scotland probationer training programme takes a total of 2 years to complete.
All new recruits to the Police Service of Scotland undergo an Initial Training Course at the college which lasts 12 weeks and culminates in a Passing out Parade.
During this course recruits undergo training in various areas of policing including Police And The Community,Crime, Evidence, General Police Duties, Roads Policing, and Investigative Skills.
[SPC Prospectus]
In addition to classroom based activity, recruits also undergo Officer Safety Training, teaching them the skills of unarmed combat,
baton techniques,
handcuff
Handcuffs are restraint devices designed to secure an individual's wrists in proximity to each other. They comprise two parts, linked together by a chain, a hinge, or rigid bar. Each cuff has a rotating arm which engages with a ratchet th ...
techniques, and the use of
PAVA Spray.
Recruits undertake limited physical training focussed mainly on passing the Scottish Police Fitness Test which is currently level 5.4 on the Multi Stage Fitness Test.
Once starting Probationer Training officers are on probation for two years. During this time Probationary Officers attend local training centres to undertake further assessment and fitness testing.
Roads Policing Division
A Driver Training unit was formed at the college in 1964. It was later known as the Traffic Division, and more recently the Roads Policing Division. The change in name reflects the new name adopted by the Police Service for this aspect of policing.
[SPC Prospectus]
The Roads Policing Division is responsible for training all officers of Police Scotland's Roads Policing Units, the division offers a number of courses, including,
* Basic Road Patrol Officer Course
* Advanced Police Driver Training
* Pursuit Management
* Police Motorcyclist Training
* Tachograph Examination Training
* Vehicle Examiner Training
* Forensic Collision Investigators
Crime Management Division
In 1981 Detective Training also came to Tulliallan, this now falls within the remit of Crime Management Division, which amongst other things, is primarily focused in the training of
Detective
A detective is an investigator, usually a member of a law enforcement agency. They often collect information to solve crimes by talking to witnesses and informants, collecting physical evidence, or searching records in databases. This leads t ...
Officers.
Some of the courses covered by this division include;
*Initial Detective Training
*Advanced Detective Training
*Senior Investigating Officers Course
*Drug Squad Training
*Child Protection Training
*Crime Scene Management
*Family Liaison Officer Training
[Scottish Police College Website]
Leadership and Management Division
Leadership and Management Division are responsible for the training of newly promoted officers, as well as officers undergoing training for promotion.
Facilities
The college benefits from custom built Scenario Training Rooms, which have been built to replicate common places in which police officers may find themselves. The college has the following Scenario Rooms;
*Bank
*Shop (fully stocked with groceries etc.)
*Bedsit
*Pub
*Court Room
The college also has a lecture theatre that seats 202 students.
Police Scotland
The Scottish Police College has been the headquarters of
Police Scotland
Police Scotland ( gd, Poileas Alba), officially the Police Service of Scotland (), is the national police force of Scotland. It was formed in 2013, through the merging of eight regional police forces in Scotland, as well as the specialist service ...
since 1 April 2013.
Scottish Police Memorial
The Scottish Police Memorial, a memorial to all police officers who have lost their lives on duty in Scotland, is located within the grounds of the college. It comprises three large granite stones, which carry the names of all police officers known to have lost their lives on duty in Scotland, the first being in 1812.
References
External links
Current official website 2015/2016
*
Scottish Police Services Authority
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Police College
A police academy, also known as a law enforcement training center, police college, or police university, is a training school for police cadets, designed to prepare them for the law enforcement agency they will be joining upon graduation, or ot ...
Education in Fife
Organisations based in Fife
Police training colleges in the United Kingdom