The Police University College will host the first ever joint course of Nordic police academies in November 2016. The course, called Nordcop Use of Force , will bring together students and teachers from Finland, Sweden, Norway, and Iceland.
“The Police University College has had exchange students from the other Nordic countries before, who have attended our Swedish-speaking courses on the use of force. This will be the first course specifically designed as a pan-Nordic course, rather than simply having exchange students attend courses forming part of our curriculum,” explains Sergeant Marko Mäkelä of the Police University College.
“The three-week course will focus on legislation governing the use of force and field operations in different Nordic countries and on comparing tactical operating models. Naturally, the course will also feature practical elements, such as a spike strip exercise and various kinds of exercises relating to the use of force, which will be held on the Police University College’s practice area.”
The Nordcop Use of Force course is designed for undergraduate students of policing. A total of 24 students have been admitted to the course, half of whom are students of the Police University College. For the Finnish students, the course is an optional module.
Long tradition of cooperation
Nordic police academies have a long history of working together to provide training on the use of force. The contents of the Nordcop Use of Force course have been developed over a period of almost 10 years of cooperation. All the Nordic countries have been involved, including Denmark, which nevertheless pulled out this time due to organisational and educational reforms.
“Dozens of teachers from different countries have contributed to designing the course, and we have managed to secure the esteemed Professor Johan Boucht from the University of Oslo as a lecturer. This is also a great opportunity for us teachers to share our know-how and work together,” Marko Mäkelä says.
In the future, the course will be run twice a year. The aim is to develop the course so that it can also be run in other Nordic countries.
