§ Chris RuaneTo ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department what role(a) further education and (b) higher education colleges have played in improving professional standards in crime and disorder reduction partnerships; and if he will provide examples of best practice. [174968]
§ Ms BlearsFurther and higher education colleges offer a variety of courses in community safety for Crime and Disorder Reduction Partnerships (CDRPs). These include short course programmes on single topics, vocational qualifications, and degrees up to masters level. Some colleges have also assisted CDRPs with the development of their crime and disorder audits and strategies and analysis of specific local crime problems.
There are no established examples of best practice. Individual colleges evaluate their own courses and they are also inspected by Ofsted, but no comprehensive assessment of their effectiveness in improving professional standards has been undertaken.
The Home Office publishes details of courses available from a range of further and higher education colleges on the Crime Reduction Website.