BSc (Hons) Serious and Complex Crime Investigation

This module aims to help you understand key theories and concepts relevant to policing and the wider criminal justice system by examining the chronological development of policing and other institutions within the system, landmark events and their inter-relationship and relevance.

This module will provide you with the knowledge and understanding of legislation and wider legal powers in relation to a range of typical policing and law enforcement incidents. It will enable you to apply such knowledge to a range of specified circumstances and incidents.

The module will provide you with an appreciation of the concept of evidence-based practice. You will discuss a range of key concepts relating to criminology, exploring the relationship between community engagement, crime prevention, and the local policing and law enforcement strategies.

You will also be able to identify the importance of information and intelligence to all areas of policing and law enforcement, differentiating between them.

This module will help you understand the meaning of ethics and their relevance in policing and wider law enforcement. Apprentices will consider both the theory and application of ethics, and what is meant by professional standards and how the apply to police officers, the police service and law enforcement professionals.

The aim of this module is to learn about the components of the criminal justice system, how they operate and how they relate to each other. You will learn about the specific roles of the various agencies and institutions within the criminal justice system and you will explore the process of getting people to custody and the routine processes around detention.

The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and understanding of the investigative process in a range of operational contexts. You will develop practical solutions to provide effective policing methods in this area whilst furthering your own competence within the discipline.

This module introduces students to the following key topics:

• Introduction to the disclosure of Unused Material
• What constitutes unused material
• The nature of sensitive material
• Complex cases and third-party material
• Defence disclosure, defence applications for disclosure and the continuing duty of disclosure
• Consequences of failures in disclosure and key partners
• Best practice in managing disclosure relating to serious organised and terrorism investigations

This module will evaluate the strengths and weaknesses of research methodologies and approaches, demonstrating effective referencing, applied to a range of theories and practices and associated with communication. You will also gain knowledge and understanding of quantitative and qualitative research techniques and their appropriate use.

This module aims to allow apprentices to critically explore the intersection of psychology and investigation. The module will examine current practices, techniques and applications of investigative interviewing. During this module apprentices will be exposed to UK and comparative international techniques in interviewing, the value of ethical approaches to interviewing victims, witnesses and suspects, the interpretation of verbal and physical behaviour, eye witness identification, question types and their influence on young and vulnerable people, influencing factors associated with confessions and false confessions. 

To provide apprentices with the knowledge and develop their understanding of key legislation and powers in relation to a range of typical law enforcement matters. Enable students to apply such knowledge to a range of specified circumstances and incidents.

To provide apprentices with the knowledge and develop their understanding of key legislation and powers in relation to a range of typical law enforcement matters in support of their completion of the National Investigators Examination (NIE). Enable students to apply such knowledge to a range of specified circumstances and incidents.

This module provides a comprehensive overview of contemporary covert techniques used in law enforcement. It covers the legislative framework, privacy vs. security balance, and various methods for intelligence gathering. Students will explore the impact on community safety, analyse legal aspects, and delve into historical and contemporary insights, including future trends and alternatives like AI and biometrics.

The aim of this module is to develop knowledge and understanding of investigative practice in a range of operational contexts. You will develop your knowledge on practical solutions to serious and complex crime investigations whilst furthering your own competence within the discipline.

Apprentices will understand the nature of the relationship between police, wider law enforcement and vulnerable people. The module will examine the theory relating to offending and offending patterns and the impact of differing approaches and intervention strategies. Development of knowledge and understanding of contemporary issues around vulnerability and criminal exploitation of certain groups. Multi-Agency Public Protection Arrangements (MAPPA). Effect of press and media on public protection strategies.

Apprentices will develop understanding of the concept of vulnerability in its broadest terms and familiarise themselves with the complex nature of vulnerability, whilst providing an understanding of how situational and environmental factors, combined with personal vulnerabilities may result in a person becoming a victim and/or perpetrator. Exploring how the effective use of training, knowledge and skills, can assist in supporting those who are vulnerable and why it is necessary to use a safeguarding approach to those who are vulnerable. 

The module will test your knowledge, skills and behaviours associated with the apprenticeship standard for the serious and complex crime investigator. The professional discussion will be conducted by an independent assessor provided by the End Point Assessment Organisation (EPAO) (which in this case is the HEI (LJMU). The OCP will have been submitted to the independent assessor as a
Gateway requirement; this will allow the independent assessor sufficient time to review the document prior to conducting the professional discussion.

The professional discussion must last 70 minutes. The independent assessor has the discretion to increase the time of the professional discussion by up to 10% to allow the apprentice to complete their last answer. Further time may be granted for apprentices with appropriate needs in line with the EPAOs Reasonable Adjustment Policy.

During the professional discussion the independent assessor must ask a minimum of 10 questions. Questions must be taken from the EPAO's question bank and those generated by the independent assessor based on their review of the apprentice’s OCP. This will offer the independent assessor the opportunity to seek further clarification if needed, as well as further testing the level of the apprentice’s
occupational competence. There is no upper limit on the number of questions that may be asked, rather a time limit. The assessment is designed to be a discussion, and so the number of questions will be guided by the apprentice’s answers.

For transparency, the independent assessor will record and present their feedback in a matrix format that clearly demonstrates how the apprentice has met each of the relevant KSBs. The independent assessor will make all grading decisions.

The module will equip you with the knowledge, understanding and skills to conduct research into more complex issues within the context of your own occupational interest. You will be provided with the opportunity to develop a research question and develop research methods to justify your choice. The research should develop practical solutions to provide effective policing methods in this area whilst showing your competence as an investigator of serious and complex crime