Learning to be a police officer. Tradition and change in the training and professional lives of police officers

Abstract

The purpose of this article is to demonstrate the usefulness of a model for empirical studies of conservative and innovative forces in police training and the professional lives of police officers. The model is based on frame factor theory and is demonstrated against Swedish police research and the authors' own observations and experiences of the Swedish police organization and police training. The authors conclude that the model can be used to describe and understand the everyday practice that police students and new police officers encounter and adopt. In particular, the model can help to identify and describe the tension fields that individual police students and police officers must learn to navigate. Thus, empirical studies using the model may contribute to a deeper understanding of police officers' individual and collective attitudes to the conservation and the development of day-to-day practice in police training and the police profession.

Reflexivity in Police Education

“…The FTOs in this study show the ambition to develop and to improve their educating competence, and they adapt to contemporary reflexive pedagogy with curiosity and humbleness, which could positively affect the new police officers they mentor. However, within police culture, there is resistance to soft values, such as reflective activities, which must be overcome (Karp & Stenmark, 2011);Rantatalo et al, 2015;Phelps et al, 2016). Applying a pedagogical perspective on professional development which builds on the concept of practical reflexivity (Cunliffe & Easterby-Smith, 2004;Rønnestad & Skovholt, 2001, 2003, the Swedish police may need to initiate a discussion about how to develop a national and compulsory FTO course.…”

Exploring the Delivery of Officer Safety Training: A Case Study

“…The underlying presumption of OST is that its content and delivery provides all police officers with sufficient experience of conflict and the use of force. In addition, hard-pressed officers and trainers, with insufficient time to reflect deeply on the content and delivery of training, are likely to end up simply reproducing it (Karp & Stenmark, 2011), and in these terms, develop and legitimise practice for compliance purposes (Beighton & Poma, 2015), that is to 'get officers through' the requisite training rather than be concerned with training effectiveness.…”

Conceptions of Gender and Competencies among Police Recruits in Scandinavia

“…Thus, there has recently been a focus on attracting 'another type' of police recruit into Scandinavian police organizations distinct from 'the masculine crime fighter' type (Gundhus 2013) to obtain a more diverse 'police corpus' integrating multiple competencies. Concurrently, new research finds that traditional conceptions of police work (as crime fighting) and who is suited for this type of work (physically strong/male bodies) are still dominant in the media and within the police profession (e.g., Karp & Stenmark 2011;Lander 2013;Loftus 2010). Thus, it is central to explore the conceptions regarding who is suited for different types of police work that exist among police recruits.…”