The planning and reflection of police use of force training: a German case study

Abstract

The current study aimed to elicit the planning and reflecting processes of police trainers with regards to the delivery of police training. Four police trainers were explicitly asked about their planning for and reflecting on training sessions. In total 34 interviews were conducted (17 pre, 17 post) and analysed. The results indicated that police trainers employ two main strategies to progress their learners towards the aims of the training session. First, they focus on making the learning experience fun and second, they point out the relevance of the to be learnt skills by creating the demand, showcasing mistakes and then subsequently focusing on developing the needed skills in isolated contexts. However, the data indicated that police trainers were generally deficient in their capability to set training session objectives and to align their delivery of training in a coherent and effective way. Furthermore, higher levels of reflection of the delivery of the training session were almost absent. The results identify a need for professional development for police trainers in the areas of planning and reflection.