The Bologna Process in Police Education was the subject of CEPOL seminar 74/2009 held in Ljubljana, Slovenia, on the 8-10 September 2009. Attracting 35 participants from 18 Member States, the seminar was supported by Austria, Finland and the CEPOL Working Group of Learning.
The aim of the seminar was to discuss the possible implementation, weaknesses and strengths of the Bologna process for police education; to get practical information about the process; to share experiences with Member States that have entered the process; and to find out how police academies could help and support each other under the auspice of CEPOL.
The seminar was opened by Goran Klemencic, State Secretary at the Ministry of Interior of Slovenia. He said “Bologna is a good idea which still needs to be improved in many countries when it comes to implementation. Police education should respond to today challenges”.
During the seminar it was highlighted that Bologna was a political decision. Therefore, some time is needed for the different actors in the field (academies/universities) to appropriate the concept. The future steps are now the responsibility of the institutions.
The overview “10 years after Bologna” made by Janja Komljenovic from the Slovenian Ministry for Higher Education, focused on the results, problems and the future of the process implementation.
Participants heard about nine different successful implementations at national level.
Lecturers, keynote speakers and participants focused on the possible EU common values and objectives in the European police education.
For police education the introduction of the Bologna Process can be even easier than in any other professions, as the employer is known and specific, with clear needs and objectives. Police academies can help and support each other and CEPOL needs to champion the process.
