Officers from Lancashire Constabulary achieve Diploma in Crime Prevention

The term ‘Designing Out Crime’ has been a discipline within the UK Police Service for over 30 years and the principles behind it have been proven successful time and time again. The Level 5 Designing Out Crime qualification is the recognised qualification both for police Designing Out Crime Officers and for others whose role involves providing specialist advice in this area.

The Academy supports access to this qualification by direct entry for those who are new to the Designing Out Crime Officer (DOCO) role, and also through a distance learning pathway for experienced DOCOs who’ve successfully completed the course previously offered by the College of Policing or the Home Office Crime Reduction Centre.

Guy Collyer, Head of the Academy said: “We’re delighted that Lancashire Constabulary supported two officers to undertake the Level 5 Designing Out Crime qualification which is recognition of the value placed on the role of the DOCO. As the ProQual centre with the exclusive link to the Secured by Design initiative, the Academy is ideally placed to provide it’s delegates with access to relevant speakers, current content and the latest developments in the field of designing out crime in the built environment.”

Chief Inspector Mills, from Lancashire Constabulary, said: “We are committed to the continued professional development and accreditation of our Designing Out Crime officers. Working with our officers, staff and partners they provide an invaluable approach to crime prevention across Lancashire”.

The qualification content includes the concept of Crime Prevention Through Environmental Design (CPTED) and applying it to the built environment; understanding the design phase and the role of the planning system in relation to the built environment; the application of Secured by Design and the use of other schemes to improve security in the built environment including the Safer Parking Award scheme. By providing sufficient evidence against the qualification assessment criteria, the awarding body ProQual issue a certificate that provides the individual with a UK-recognised qualification.

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 is an established provider of police training, and is the approved centre for the awarding body ProQual with the exclusive link to the Secured by Design initiative.

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.