STUDENTS of psychology might be surprised to learn that their skills would be useful in the police force.

But the police as a career option was made clear to University of Bolton undergraduates when they heard a pioneering lecture from a leading Greater Manchester officer.

Chief Inspector Shane O’Neill delivered a lecture to third year students and gave them a unique insight into policing and careers in the force as part of their Applied Experience module.

The lecture was delivered as part of the Memorandum of Understanding agreement signed between Greater Manchester Police and University of Bolton, last month.

Ch Insp O'Neill gave a broad overview of policing across GMP, linked policing to psychology and emphasised the importance of employability skills in a range of professional areas.

Psychology senior lecturer, Dr Gill Allen said: "Student feedback following the lecture was overwhelmingly positive, this is a great start to our relationship with GMP."

One student said: "It was amazing, really informative, enthusiastic and a good, honest insight into what goes on behind the scenes in policing."

Another student added: "It was fantastic to hear about the best routes to get into policing. He set expectations about what employers are looking for across all fields and not just policing and he made links to applied psychology throughout."

Ch Insp O’Neill returns to the university next week, to deliver a lecture for first-year psychology students. He will be encouraging them to think about the employability skills they will need to develop and how to gain valuable experience in related areas, to complement their academic achievements.