Learning (on) the job? Perceptions of police recruits on the role of the police during police training and education

• In Event: Police Education and Training

Abstract

The C(onsortium) E(ducation) R(easurch) P(olicing) group (composed of 5 Belgian Universities) investigates how attitudes and perceptions of police recruits evolve and develop during police training and the first three years of their police career. The consortium tries to gain more insight in the process of socialization in the police job, whereas traditional police culture seems hard to bend. Question rises: which variables influence the adoption of the police (profession) culture during this initial phase of a police career. The consortium conducted the profile of the police recruit and measured the perceptions of the police recruits on: (1) the role of the police, (2) police tasks, (3) job motivation and ambition, (4) punitiveness, (5) society problems, (6) community oriented policing, (7) the role of civilians, (8) police organization and the justice system.
We present the results and conclusions of the first (entrance in the police organization - start of the police training) and second phase (end of police training) of our longitudinal quantitative research. Focus will be held on the impact of police training and education on the socialization into the police organization (culture).

Authors

• Sofie De Kimpe, Free University of Brussels (VUB)

• Chaim Demaree, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Annelies De Schrijver, KU Leuven

• Arne Dormaels, Ghent University

• Marleen Easton, Ghent University

• Els Enhus, Vrije Universiteit Brussel

• Jeroen Maesschalck, KU Leuven

• Vincent Seron, University of Liège, Belgium

• Sybille Smeets, Université libre de Bruxelles