Do you have what it takes to join Edinburgh’s own police academy?

CHEST heaving and legs jellied, I stagger around the sports hall feeling suitably smug, that wasn’t so tough.
Evening News man Andy Shipley takes on the new course fitness test.Evening News man Andy Shipley takes on the new course fitness test.
Evening News man Andy Shipley takes on the new course fitness test.

“Right, that’s the warm up done,” beams cheery course lead Sarah Lynch. Eh?

I’m at Edinburgh College’s Sighthill campus to preview the physical entry test for a new HNC police studies course ahead of an open day tomorrow.

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Aimed at readying students for the rigours of a career in the force, I’m minded of my most recent workplace workout – trying, and failing, to manhandle a stricken Kinder Bueno from the vending machine.

Andy Shipley doing the police fitness course at Edinburgh college with lecturer Rick WeightmanAndy Shipley doing the police fitness course at Edinburgh college with lecturer Rick Weightman
Andy Shipley doing the police fitness course at Edinburgh college with lecturer Rick Weightman

If jumping jacks, deep squats, lunges and burpees sound like medieval interrogation techniques, they feel like them too.

Still, there’s no time to consider my impending prolapse because we’re straight into sprints – great.

“We can’t do the bleep test because a guy passed out,” pants my torturer-in-chief Rick Weightman. Oh good.

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Body buckling from the sprints, it’s then on to circuits of weights, more burpees, something with kettlebells I forget the name of but remember the pain and more burpees.

Those turning up tomorrow will be similarly put through their paces and get a valuable insight into the course.

The college is only the second in Scotland to offer such an opportunity to senior high school students

Tomorrow’s selection day is based on the Police Scotland recruitment processes to identify which applicants have a possible future in the force.

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Aside from the fitness test, attendees will take on standard entry language testing, a competency-based written task and equality and diversity decision making.

Pupils will also hear from the Edinburgh Police Scotland Youth Volunteers coordinator during the event.

The course and entry requirements have been devised in partnership with instructors and current police cadets at the Police Scotland College, Tulliallan.

S5 and S6 year pupils from across all schools in Edinburgh and the Lothians have the chance to study part-time over two years to achieve an HNC qualification in subjects not traditionally taught at high school.

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On successful completion of the course, pupils will be given guidance towards applying to Police Scotland, a university course or another course at one of Edinburgh College’s four campuses across the Capital.

Sarah said: “This is a great opportunity for pupils to enhance their learning within areas of Law, advanced Social Care and Policing – subjects which are perhaps not always readily available within secondary education.

“We want to be able to widen participation within these areas of study, and establish equity in accessing unique learning opportunities here at the college, for all senior school pupils across Edinburgh and the Lothians.”

Edinburgh College Enterprise and Commerce curriculum manager Lynn Loudon also threw down the gauntlet to would-be recruits.

“We very much look forward to welcoming our new cohort of students after the summer,” she said.