This unit is designed for constables participating in the first qualification process (QP1) for promotion to the rank of sergeant. It builds on the formal legal training provided at recruit level as well as practical experience gained since graduation. It is designed to achieve an enhanced standard of knowledge and competence in the areas of criminal procedure and evidence law. Criminal procedure focuses on the areas of arrest, custody, the search and seizure of property and bail. Students will consider the formal legal requirements leading to sound operational practice in these areas and develop their understanding through an examination and analysis of reported cases. Evidence law will return students to the fundamental rules, principles and doctrines underpinning the admissibility of evidence in criminal cases. Students will consider evidentiary rules in the context of identifying 'best practice' in operational policing. Specific areas covered will include relevance, hearsay and hearsay exceptions, opinion evidence, credibility and character, admissions, tendency and coincidence, and identification. Throughout the course, students will be expected to consider police actions in factual situations and identify legal issues arising from either a procedural or evidential perspective. They will also need to consider how such actions might affect the outcome of an investigation in court through the discretion of the court to exclude evidence. In preparing students to fully participate in this unit and meet intended learning outcomes, the introduction will include material designed to assist students to effectively find legal information from a variety of sources, and to analyse and apply this information to factual situations.