Proposal: New police programme in Uppsala
Police education and training includes subjects such as sociology, law, behavioural science and emergency medicine. Photo: Getty Images
The Swedish Police Authority proposes that Uppsala University establish a police programme to meet the need for education and training places.
Joakim Palme, Vice-Rector for Humanities and Social Sciences at Uppsala University. Photo: Mikael Wallerstedt.
Following instructions from the government, the Swedish Police Authority has examined the possibilities of increasing the number of places in police training and education, so as to achieve the government’s goal of more police officers. In the report now submitted to the government, the Swedish Police Authority proposes that Uppsala University be commissioned to establish police education and training.
“I believe our strengths lie in both our breadth and our depth. We already have most of the subjects needed in a police programme and we are good in these fields, so we will be able to provide a very good police education and training programme in the future,” says Joakim Palme, Vice-Rector for Humanities and Social Sciences at Uppsala University.
Great breadth of subjects
Police education and training includes subjects such as sociology, law, behavioural science and emergency medicine. A lot of other knowledge that is relevant to police activities is also available at Uppsala University, for example in forensic science and criminalistics, but also in the humanities and social sciences.
The final decision will be taken by the government, hopefully in early autumn.
“The new police programme is proposed to start as early as the spring semester of 2027, so time is short,” observes Magnus Ödman, Deputy Head of the Office for Humanities and Social Sciences.
Police growth in the Stockholm region
Police education and training is currently offered at Malmö University, Linnaeus University, the University of Borås, Södertörn University and Umeå University. The Swedish Police Authority judges that to expand the number of training places efficiently, more places are needed in central Sweden.
“Uppsala University is a higher education institution with a good reputation in a popular student city. We believe it has excellent prospects of delivering a really good programme. In addition, the location is important because a large part of our police growth is planned to take place in the Stockholm region,” comments National Police Commissioner Petra Lundh.
Annica Hulth