Prevalence and change of pro-violent attitudes among police trainees

• In Event: POL Panel 5. Public Order, Violence and Protest Policing

Abstract

The analysis of personal attitudes among police officers is an increasingly important area of criminological research due to incidents of racist or xenophobic behaviour by police officers. The question of prevalence and development of pro-violent attitudes is also of great interest against the background of incidents of excessive police use of force in the past. These pro-violent attitudes are analysed in the presentation on the basis of two studies among police trainees in Switzerland: on the one hand, a survey of over 800 police officers in training (representative sample) and, on the other, a 3-wave panel study of 88 trainees. The analyses are based on a 5-item instrument that reliably and validly measures pro-violent attitudes. The analyses show that around a third of respondents agree with these attitudes; there is also an increase in attitudes over time. Possible factors influencing this increase are presented, including different stressors and experiences with superiors and colleagues. Additionally, it is analysed whether the influence of these factors is moderated by characteristics such as personal resilience and social support. Based on the results, implications for research and practice can be formulated.

Author

• Dirk Baier, ZHAW/UZH