Knowledge Management in Law Enforcement: Knowledge Views for Patrolling Police Officers

Abstract

This paper describes and classifies different types of knowledge that are a part of police patrol officers' practice. Even though an intervention usually forces a police officer to apply several different knowledge types, this paper discusses different forms of professional knowledge separately to enable categorisation. In general, a large part of police officers' professional knowledge, as well as professional knowledge in many other contexts, is complex and difficult to describe and explain in words. The police profession is distinguished by the broad range of knowledge types that are required and by the time pressure under which actions often must be taken. This paper presents a polarisation into two knowledge management perspectives: the theoretical knowledge view and the street-level knowledge view respectively.

Critical incidents’ impact on front-line South African police personnel in light of the current briefing and debriefing strategies

“…Before any new system is introduced, and while development occurs, it is important to raise awareness among all officers on currently existing de/briefing systems, so that the few strengths of the systems are highlighted and utilized during the transition to more modern systems. Similarly, research should be more focused on the role of experience in the absence of such structures, bearing in mind that the importance of experience was highlighted by the participants but has also emerged as a key factor in decision-making in fast and dangerous situations (Holgersson, Gottschalk, & Dean, 2008;Jermier, Gaines, & McIntosh, 1989;Salas, Rosen, & DiazGranadosr, 2010).…”

Frontline Innovation in Times of Crisis: Learning from the Corona Virus Pandemic

“…They are the problems that emerge in the course of everyday work as workers encounter conditions ‘on the ground’ that are complex, situated, and emergent. The knowledge of these problems is often tacit ( Polanyi, 1966/2009 ), deeply embedded in ‘street-knowledge’ ( Holgersson et al , 2008 ), and therefore difficult, costly, and time-consuming to transfer ( von Hippel, 1994 ) to individuals not engaged in the particular practices of frontline officers ( Brown and Duguid, 2001 ). When police officers experience non-canonical problems, they often do so personally and directly as they engage in their professional practices.…”

“…Moreover, while several of our arguments rely on evidence drawn from military organizations, we do not mean to imply that police and military are culturally or organizationally equivalent. There are similarities, differences, and trends towards both convergence and differentiation between these types of organizations, and within each, there is considerable variation ( Chan, 1996 ; Holgersson et al , 2008 ; Rahr and Rice, 2015 ; Rivera, 2015 ; Coyne and Hall, 2018 ). It is also clear that there are both similarities and differences in the nature of the frontline innovation process between the two ( Hartmann and Hartmann, 2020 ).…”

المعرفة الضمنية واستثمارها في تطوير إجراءات تأمين المنشآت الأمنية

“…The main challenge for police officers during investigations is to analyse and apply the information and knowledge obtained. and Holgersson, Gottschalk and Dean (2008) remark that the performance of police officers depends on their professional knowledge. The police require knowledge to handle each situation effectively.…”