Exploring the journey from practice to academia: The police pracademic’s transition experience

Authors

  • Anne Eason University of the West of England
  • Paul Williamson University of the West of England

DOI:

https://doi.org/10.70386/ijcpe.v1i1.43

Keywords:

police pracademic, police education, professionalisation, policing pedagogy, credibility

Abstract

As the four Police Constable Entry Routes (PCER) continue to embed, so the role of the police pracademic has evolved. As with other professions, police pracademics bridge theory and practice, making them critical to the higher education routes in policing. This research captures the lived experiences of 112 police pracademic’s transition from policing to academia from universities across England and Wales. Providing demographic insights and textual perspectives of the transition process, a thematic analysis of the surveyed results revealed three themes; othering, credibility in context, and value(able). While the study reaffirms their positive influence on practice-led learning, it also emphasises the need for stronger institutional support to transition successfully integrate pracademics into their academic careers.

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Published

27-07-2026

How to Cite

Eason, A., & Williamson, P. (2026). Exploring the journey from practice to academia: The police pracademic’s transition experience. International Journal of Criminology and Policing Education, 1. https://doi.org/10.70386/ijcpe.v1i1.43

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Articles