Tyler Moore

Policing and Intelligence Analysis MSc

The negativity towards police in Tyler’s community inspired him to make a change in the world of policing. The knowledgeable staff at BCU inspired him to go into teaching so he can make a difference to young people and the criminal justice system.

“In my area, there was never a lot of love for the police, my own family frequently has run-ins with law enforcement, and I wanted to understand why my family and wider community didn’t like the police. I began to question why police dealt with issues the way that they did. My curiosity led me to pursue a career as a police officer as I wanted to do things differently.

I studied Criminology, Policing and Investigation at BCU for my undergraduate degree and midway through my degree, I started to consider the Master’s. The lecturers on the undergraduate course saw my enthusiasm for the subject and invited me to attend some postgraduate lectures to get a flavour for the course and the topics that they covered. I enjoyed the lectures and working closely with the tutors. They inspired me to get into teaching instead of joining the police, as I saw that I could make a difference from the ground up.

My goal is to one day do a PhD and become a policing lecturer. I want to have a say in the education of the police. Education is where behaviours and patterns begin, so I want to be at the root of that and make a positive change.

I currently work in Outreach at local schools, I deliver a development program to young people that helps them consider their options after school. I decided to take a break before I start my PhD to get more experience working with young people, as I particularly want to make a difference in young people’s lives and help them stay out of the prison system.

As a kid, I saw a lot of adults try to make a difference in my community, but they didn’t know how to speak to young people, so they couldn’t get through to them. The public speaking and communication skills I gained from the Master’s mean that I can talk to people from all different walks of life. On the course, we regularly spoke to the public, police and people with protected characteristics. Learning how to be professional yet approachable with all these people has been key in my current role. I’ve been able to break down barriers and genuinely help the young people I work with.

The highlight of my MSc was learning from the staff on the course. A lot of them have worked in policing, or even still do, and have a lot of insight to share. As someone who is interested in policing but has never actually done the job, their insight was invaluable to understanding the dynamics between police and local communities.

The level of critical analysis expected of you on the MSc is far above anything expected at undergraduate level. Instead of just listing the pros and cons, I learned to think about what we can do to change the issues that exist in the policing community. This has given me the skills to step up to a PhD and write at a higher level.

Since studying at postgraduate level, I’ve got a deeper knowledge and curiosity. The degree taught me to question my own actions, the actions of others and why we do the things we do.

‘I am BCU’ means community to me, seeing ‘I am BCU’ around Birmingham makes me feel that I belong.”