Complex Challenges in Global Police Staffing: A discussion of ongoing research, challenges, opportunities and reform.

Session Submission Type: Roundtable

Abstract

Police agencies around the world are facing a growing staffing crisis driven by challenges of recruitment, retention and leadership. Many agencies are additionally struggling with negative public perceptions of policing, a critical shortage of experience and specialised skills plus a growing demand for diverse skill sets to better represent policing and societal needs. These challenges are exacerbated by high workloads, concerns about low levels of officer/staff wellbeing, low staff morale and high levels of intention to leave. These evolving challenges require leaders who are attune to the changing nature of policing organisations and their role in promoting a positive organisational culture. This roundtable will feature academics and PhD students who are researching and writing in the field of police staffing aimed at deconstructing these complex workforce issues. Discussions will focus on critical themes including diversity, inclusion, culture, recruitment, retention, and leadership—areas that are pivotal to transforming recruitment strategies and sustaining a capable, dynamic police force. By integrating empirical research with practical insights, the session aims to consider the challenges and opportunities associated with both advancing this area of criminological research and its potential to provide strategies for developing more stable and thriving police workforces.

Subtopic

• Topic 5: Social Control and Criminal Justice / Policing and Law enforcement (Policing WG)

Chair

• Sarah Charman, University of Portsmouth

Discussants

• Shawn Hill, University of California, Santa Barbara, USA

• Denise Martin, Northumbria University

• Anna Perowne, University of Portsmouth

• Ryan Sandrin, Simon Fraser University, Canada

• Clare Simkin, University of Portsmouth, UK

• Jemma Tyson, University of Portsmouth

• Emma Williams, Anglia Ruskin University, UK

• Angela Workman-Stark, Athabasca University