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New justice degree to help boost police numbers
The University of the Sunshine Coast will introduce a Bachelor of Justice and Legal Studies in 2007 to increase the pool of applicants for the police force.
Sunshine Coast-based Senior Sergeant A C Sinn, who has spent 26 years with the Queensland Police Service, confirmed that the QPS recruiting section are experiencing a shortage of appropriately qualified, suitable applicants for the service.
“The current shortage is largely due to the need to recruit new positions as well as cater for member attrition,” Senior Sergeant Sinn said.
“To succeed in a career in the police force, one needs a high degree of integrity, application and selflessness together with a willingness to service the community of Queensland in a professional manner,”
While joining the state or federal force is one option for graduates, the new degree also offers graduates a range other para-legal employment opportunities. These include working in corrections, security, the court system or in community legal services.
The program ensures students have a thorough understanding of the Australian legal system, business law and ethics as well as the foundations of criminology, while advanced courses include human rights and international justice, green justice, family justice and constitutional law.
It aims to equip graduates with the ability to critically examine the role of legal systems and the outcomes they provide. Students will gain an insight into the social impact of the Criminal Justice System by exploring issues in crime and justice, policies of crime prevention, approaches to sentencing and sanctions, and issues in policing.