Academy & Met collaborate for Level 5 designing out crime qualification

The Academy will be facilitating access for Met Designing Out Crime Officers (DOCOs) to the accredited Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention - Designing Out Crime qualification via a Recognition of Prior Experiential Learning (RPEL) pathway.

The RPEL pathway is a distance learning process that is offered exclusively by the Academy to enable DOCOs who have successfully completed a designing out crime course to use existing and current evidence to demonstrate knowledge and application to achieve the qualification. Distance learning means that attendance in a classroom is not required, but candidates are supported by Academy staff who are occupationally competent and appropriately qualified.

The Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention – Designing Out Crime is the recognised qualification both for police Designing Out Crime Officers and for others who will deliver designing out crime as part of a specialist role. The Academy is an established provider of police training and is the only approved centre for the awarding body ProQual, and which has the exclusive link to the Secured by Design initiative.

The first eighteen Met DOCOs started the RPEL pathway to the Level 5 Designing Out Crime qualification in July which commenced with a virtual briefing.

Guy Collyer, Head of the Academy said: “The Academy is committed to recognising prior experience and learning in Designing Out Crime and Crime Prevention. This particular approach has been developed jointly by Metropolitan Police and the Academy, which provides local support whilst helping to keep people safe in the current circumstances. It’s the first of its kind and the Academy would be happy to replicate this approach for groups of DOCOs from other forces”.

Sergeant David Lucy, Met Police, said: “It is important to us that the experience, knowledge and skills of our DOCOs is reflected in this formal qualification. This gives DOCOs the recognition they deserve, for the work they do to keep people and communities in London safe. This is an excellent programme offered by the Police Crime Prevention Academy and a good step towards giving DOCOs the recognition they deserve.”

Further details about accessing the Level 5 Designing Out Crime qualification or the Level 4 Crime Prevention qualification via the RPEL pathway, along with further information about the range of qualifications offered by the Academy, can be obtained by visiting https://www.crimepreventionacademy.com/ or emailing

The Academy is part of Police Crime Prevention Initiatives, the police owned, non-profit, organisation that works on behalf of the Police Service throughout the UK to deliver a wide range of crime prevention and police demand reduction initiatives. The Academy maintains close working links with the National Police Chiefs’ Council, as well as senior police officers from across the UK, and is the established supplier to the police service for crime prevention learning & development.

The Academy also delivers a number of qualifications to the private sector, working closely with local authorities and relevant specialists such as architects and planners, and recently launched a number of distance learning qualifications which can be achieved without the need to be away from home or work. The Academy pride itself in keeping the quality of qualifications at a premium and the costs at a minimum.