Perspectives on the police profession: an international investigation

BAYERL, Petra Saskia, HORTON, K.E., JACOBS, Gabriele, ROGIEST, Sofie, REGULI, Zdenko, GRUSCHINSKE, Mario, COSTANZO, Pietro, STOJANOVSKI, Trpe, VONAS, Gabriel, GASCÓ, Mila and ELLIOTT, Karen (2014). Perspectives on the police profession: an international investigation. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 37 (4), 728-745.

[img]
Preview
PDF
Bayerl-etal2014-Policing-acceptedversion.pdf - Accepted Version
All rights reserved.

Download (889kB) | Preview
Official URL: https://www.emeraldinsight.com/doi/full/10.1108/PI...
Link to published version:: https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-11-2013-0112

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to clarify the diversity of professional perspectives on police culture in an international context. Design/methodology/approach – In a first step the authors developed a standardized instrument of 45 occupational features for comparative analysis of police professional views. This set was inductively created from 3,441 descriptors of the police profession from a highly diverse sample of 166 police officers across eight European countries. Using this standardized instrument, Q-methodological interviews with another 100 police officers in six European countries were conducted. Findings – The authors identified five perspectives on the police profession suggesting disparities in officers’ outlooks and understanding of their occupation. Yet, the findings also outline considerable overlaps in specific features considered important or unimportant across perspectives. Research limitations/implications – The study emphasizes that police culture needs to be described beyond the logic of distinct dimensions in well-established typologies. Considering specific features of the police profession determines which aspects police officers agree on across organizational and national contexts and which aspects are unique. Practical implications – The feature-based approach provides concrete pointers for the planning and implementation of (inter)national and inter-organizational collaborations as well as organizational change. Originality/value – This study suggests an alternative approach to investigate police culture. It further offers a new perspective on police culture that transcends context-specific boundaries.

Item Type: Article
Uncontrolled Keywords: 1602 Criminology; Criminology
Identification Number: https://doi.org/10.1108/pijpsm-11-2013-0112
Page Range: 728-745
SWORD Depositor: Symplectic Elements
Depositing User: Symplectic Elements
Date Deposited: 12 Mar 2019 13:10
Last Modified: 12 Oct 2023 08:03
URI: https://shura.shu.ac.uk/id/eprint/24146

Actions (login required)

View Item View Item

Downloads

Downloads per month over past year

View more statistics