Educating Police Officers

Paper Summary:

Though there is opposition to the need for college-educated police officers on the grounds that there is a wide gap between classroom theory and street reality, this paper argues that it is evident that education can bring many important benefits, such as a more positive image of the police as protectors of justice and peace. It claims that higher education will help provide improved relations with the communities served, problem solving skills using human relations and behavioral management techniques, and an organizational structure that will optimize available resources.

From the Paper:

"The police force in any country has a vital role to play in terms of achieving its intended mission of crime prevention, protection of life and property and apprehending violators of peace. The police force, therefore, are the upholders of justice and peace, and to that extent, it is they, more than anyone else who need to practice an underlying code of ethics that is true to the spirit of democracy: "the mission "to protect and serve" is not so simple require distinct and separate skills" "artistry of police work lies in the ability to handle explosive situations without resorting to force." (Delattre, 1989, p. 25-26) The practice of justice in police work does not only involve overt criminal acts but various types of community service including assisting the sick and injured or defusing domestic tension and violence. Now, the fact is, even if the police force have ingrained humane values and ethics, such situations require specialist and varying skills. Besides the necessary knowledge and skill base required to perform their duties, the police are increasingly under pressure to deliver a wide range of services using limited human and financial resources, which requires optimization through applying management principles and techniques. It is, for these reasons that the role of education in policing begins to assume importance."

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