Student mobility under the Erasmus+ programme has just crossed the borders of the European Union. On 26–31 October 2025, three students from the Police Academy in Szczytno took part in Police Scotland's International Study Week at the Scottish Police College Tulliallan in Kincardine. It was the first exchange of this kind with a new partner institution. The event was attended by representatives of uniformed services from various countries, including the Falkland Islands, Germany and Greece.

The aim of the Erasmus+ programme internships for students and graduates of the Police Academy in Szczytno is always to improve professional competence, particularly in the areas of international cooperation, communication in English, and skills in patrolling and intervention, investigation, covert policing and crime prevention. The trips are intended to facilitate the exchange of experiences and good practices between officers from different countries around the world, as well as to contribute to the development of openness, responsibility and European awareness, the development of intercultural competence, the building of professional networks and the transfer of acquired knowledge and skills to everyday service in the country.

Police Scotland’s International Study Week programme included both theoretical and practical classes. Participants learned about the recruitment process and training system for officers, issues related to operational security, conflict de-escalation, crisis negotiation, and the principles of inter-agency cooperation in intervention operations.

A large part of the programme was devoted to decision-making in stressful situations and analysing the reactions of officers in an environment of rapidly changing threats. During the practical classes, modern technologies supporting the daily work of the police were presented. The workshops on the use of the Hydra system, a crisis situation simulator that allows for realistic reconstruction of operational scenarios, were of particular importance. Participants had to make decisions based on incoming data, work in teams and respond to changing circumstances. The second solution presented was the DESC (Digital Evidence Sharing Capability) system, an innovative digital platform that enables the transfer of evidence (e.g. CCTV footage, mobile phone videos) directly from the scene of an incident to the police. This system streamlines investigation, enables faster response times and improves the quality of cooperation between the police, the prosecution and the courts.

An interesting part of the programme was a visit to a local Scottish police station – St Leonards Police Station in Edinburgh. There, participants were introduced to the functioning of local policing division and its cooperation with local communities. As part of the presentation of the ‘Operation Moonbeam’ case study, activities related to securing large public events, such as demonstrations and mass events, were discussed. Participants also had the opportunity to visit the Scottish Parliament and the town of Culross, which gave them a better understanding of the socio-cultural conditions of law enforcement in Scotland.

During the training, participants were introduced to the principles of the MoRiLE (Management of Risk in Law Enforcement) programme used by the Scottish police and other services in the United Kingdom. It is a modern tool that supports risk management. The programme allows for a uniform and transparent assessment of which threats are most significant for public safety, taking into account their likelihood of occurrence, possible impact and capacity to cause harm. The scholarship holders were also presented with the activities of the Innovation Team, a special team operating within the Scottish police force, whose task is to implement modern organisational, technological and communication solutions in the service. One example is an innovative recruitment campaign using the virtual tool ‘Viral Google’, which allows viewers to watch real footage of officers in various work situations. Participation in International Week 2025 at the Scottish Police College was an extremely valuable and inspiring professional and educational experience for Erasmus+ scholarship holders from the Police Academy in Szczytno. The exchange of experiences with officers and experts from other countries allowed for a comparison of organisational structures, methods of operation and work culture. These meetings provided an opportunity to discuss common challenges, such as cybercrime, communication with citizens and the protection of officers' mental health. 

The visit to the Scottish Police College is an example of a well-planned and substantively valuable Erasmus+ programme practice. Participants gained knowledge that can be put to practical use in the daily work of law enforcement agencies and will also contribute to the improvement of training processes in the Police Academy students' respective local police units.