The Making of a Police Officer: Comparative Perspectives on Police Education and Recruitment

This longitudinal project examines the impact of gender diversity and political orientation on police students' career aspirations and attitudes to policing in seven European countries, finding that academic police education does not produce reluctant officers and that gender and recruitment policies matter more in relation to career preferences than education models. The book is aimed at students and scholars in policing, criminology, sociology, social theory, and cultural studies.

Format: Paperback / softback
Length: 268 pages
Publication date: 13 June 2022
Publisher: Taylor & Francis Ltd

Part I: Introduction to the Study
Police education is a critical component of the criminal justice system, and it plays a vital role in shaping the attitudes and behaviors of new police officers. However, there is limited research on the impact of police education on the career aspirations and attitudes of police students. This longitudinal project, following police students in seven European countries, aims to address this gap by exploring a wide range of topics relevant to the future development of policing, police education, and police science.

Part II: Goals and Models of Police Education
Police education in the seven participating countries varies significantly in terms of its goals and models. Some countries prioritize academic training, while others focus on vocational training. Some countries also offer specialized training programs for specific types of policing, such as counterterrorism or cybercrime.

Part III: Student Characteristics
The students who enroll in police education are diverse in terms of their educational background, political orientation, and career aspirations. Students in academic institutions are typically more educated than students in vocational training institutions, and they are more likely to have a political orientation that is supportive of social justice and human rights. Students in vocational training institutions are more likely to have a career aspiration that is focused on employment in the private sector.

Part IV: Social Impact of Police Education
Police education has a significant social impact on its students. It can shape their orientations towards emerging competence areas, their career aspirations, and their attitudes concerning trust, cynicism, and legalism.

Part V: Academic Versus Vocational Training
One of the key questions addressed by this project is whether a more academic type of police education produces new police officers that are reluctant to patrol the streets. The results of this study show that police students are strikingly similar across different types of police education. Students in academic institutions are at least as interested in street patrolling as students in vocational training institutions. Gender and recruitment policies matter more in relation to career preferences than education models.

Part VI: National Context Matters
The national context plays a more important role than the type of police education system. Different countries have different policies and practices regarding policing, and these policies can have a significant impact on the career aspirations and attitudes of police students. For example, some countries may prioritize community policing, while others may prioritize law enforcement.

Part VII: Conclusion
This longitudinal project has provided valuable insights into the impact of police education on the career aspirations and attitudes of police students. It has shown that police students are diverse in terms of their educational background, political orientation, and career aspirations, and that police education has a significant social impact on its students. The results of this study suggest that a more academic type of police education does not produce new police officers that are reluctant to patrol the streets. However, gender and recruitment policies matter more in relation to career preferences than education models. The national context plays a more important role than the type of police education system.

In conclusion, this longitudinal project has provided valuable insights into the impact of police education on the career aspirations and attitudes of police students. It has shown that police students are diverse in terms of their educational background, political orientation, and career aspirations, and that police education has a significant social impact on its students. The results of this study suggest that a more academic type of police education does not produce new police officers that are reluctant to patrol the streets. However, gender and recruitment policies matter more in relation to career preferences than education models. The national context plays a more important role than the type of police education system.

Weight: 500g
Dimension: 234 x 156 (mm)
ISBN-13: 9781032336961