“The support and training provided will assist them in delivering the best advice to the communities they serve” - An Garda Síochána take delivery of the PCPI accredited Crime Prevention for Practitioners Certificate

Speaking on behalf of the Academy, the Head of Learning and Development Guy Collyer said: “We have been delivering accredited qualifications for the officers and staff of police services and partner agencies across the UK since September 2018. It is a pleasure to now take this to the next step and, by working with An Garda Síochána, to support the commitment to ensuring that their Crime Prevention Officers have access to the most appropriate qualifications.”

Speaking on behalf of the AGS National Crime Prevention Unit, Superintendent Kevin Daly said: “Crime Prevention Officers in An Garda Síochána play a vital role for the communities they serve. Preventing and reducing crime are key goals for our organisation. We can achieve this through community engagement and proactive policing.

“For our Crime Prevention Officers, the internationally accredited, Level 4 Certificate in Crime Prevention provided by Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) Crime Prevention Academy, has instilled in them a greater confidence in carrying out their role.

“The support and training provided will assist them in delivering the best advice to the communities they serve; and in the process reduce the fear of crime and promote enhanced community safety.”

The Level 4 accredited qualification for An Garda Siochana was delivered locally with delegates attending the classroom phase at the Garda College at Templemore, having completed preliminary work including e-learning. Local delivery ensured that specific legislation and local policy documents could be referenced and relevant inputs from internal and external subject matter experts sourced.

The Level 4 Certificate in Crime Prevention for Practitioners is a qualification for those who are in a specialist crime prevention role. The content includes the context of crime; the application of a problem solving process; correct and effective use of security products; site security surveys and environmental visual audits; working in partnerships and related legislation; and running a crime prevention initiative.

The Level 4 Certificate provides a stepping stone to the Level 5 Diploma in Crime Prevention – Designing Out Crime.

The Level 4 Certificate is part of the new generation of accredited, regulated and portable qualifications in crime prevention and designing out crime which became available from September 2018. The qualifications provide learning and CPD opportunities for those within the Police Service and other public organisations that have a statutory duty around delivering safer communities. This includes Local Authority departments, Community Safety Partnerships, Fire and Rescue, Health and Probation services. The qualifications are also available and relevant to private sector businesses such as security staff and managers, architects and planners.

As well as scheduled national delivery, the qualifications can be delivered locally dependent on delegate numbers and available budget of an organisation. To find out more about the qualifications delivered by the Academy and scheduled dates for delivery in 2019/2020, please contact:

The Police Crime Prevention Academy is just one initiative belonging to Police Crime Prevention Initiatives (PCPI) and is an Approved Centre for the awarding body, ProQual. The accredited qualifications which it delivers are regulated by Ofqual.

PCPI is a police owned organisation that works on behalf of Police & Crime Commissioners and Chief Constables to deliver a wide range of crime prevention and demand reduction initiatives across the UK. It is a non-profit organisation and Board Members include senior police officers from each of the four Home Nations who control and direct the work PCPI carries out on behalf of the Police Service.