News & Stories

Upskilling to be better leaders

Victoria Police’s University of Tasmania connection.

A partnership between the Victorian Police and the University of Tasmania’s School of Social Sciences reached a new milestone during the 2017 summer graduation.

Victoria Police’s Acting Inspector Catherine Wilkins was the first graduate with a Bachelor of Arts Professional Honours in Public Sector Leadership and Management degree.  

A/Inspector Wilkins, who works in the Policing Command’s Road Policing Strategy Division, has already put what she’s learnt to good use by implementing a women’s mentoring program in the road policing command which was launched in December 2017.

“The program helps in empowering our women within the command to become leaders themselves and to really empower them and build them to grow and gain better competence and better skills and strengths.

“I would certainly recommend the University of Tasmania to anyone looking to do studies.

"It's a very high academic standard and the supervisors and lecturers are really exceptional and go beyond what a normal lecturer would undertake,” A/Inspector Wilkins said.

“The combination of the theoretical and the operational is a really valuable part of the course.”

Partnership

Inspector Tony Demarte - Victoria Police

Officer-in-Charge of the Promotional Programs Unit and the Centre for Incident Emergency Management at the Victoria Police Academy, Inspector Tony Demarte, said the University of Tasmania provided the solution they were looking for in a university program.  

“Victoria Police for a number of years has been on a pathway of professionalisation for our senior ranks and understanding that the University already had that strong relationship and very similar values with Tasmania Police allowed us to obtain a pathway for our personnel,” Inspector Demarte said.

“We've had really positive responses from our applicants this year. We had 95 applicants put in for 50 positions. We were able to fill 48 of those positions and they've all successfully made it through the first two units of the program and we'll be moving on to their elective units next year.”

Key outcomes

-        Victoria Police has secured 200 positions for 2018

-        Extension of the pilot for another 12-18 months

-        Inclusion of future senior sergeants 

“I think based on what we have seen so far I think the University of Tasmania provides us with a great stepping stone and a great platform from which we can develop our future leaders and yes I think that would be a strong recommendation for other people to look at the University for that type of program,” Inspector Demarte said. 

Associate Professor Dr. Angela Dwyer

Future

Associate Professor in Police Studies and Emergency Management, Dr Angela Dwyer said the experience all-round has been positive.  

“The University components are fully online, although the partnership also means that we have face-to-face components with that program.

“It's a really exciting partnership and it has so many benefits for the students as well as obviously for the University.

“I think for the students they get a really great experience where they're not only undertaking university work they're doing the practical components with the Police Academy as well.

“There's a lot to be gained out of professional honours degree like this.”

Interested in studying with us? Look into our Bachelor of Arts Professional Honours (Specialisation).                      

Banner photo source: Victoria Police Facebook.