University identity and its impact on policing education: A comparative study of the University of the West of England, Bristol and the Rhineland-Palatinate Police University, Germany

University identity has been historically linked with traditional disciplines such as philosophy, history and education and accessible mainly, to those from certain sections of the community. However, contemporary higher education has shifted its attention to vocational programmes such as nursing, probation and more recently, policing. This article explores two universities, one from the United Kingdom, the other from Germany, who provide police education, and who, through similar objectives, have unique identities that result in a distinct and very different student journey.