Knowledge, Skills, and Abilities for Managing Potentially Volatile Police-Public Interactions: A Narrative Review.

Craig Bennell,Tori Semple,Natalie Jennifer Jones,Ariane-Jade Khanizadeh,Bryce Jenkins,Andrew Steven Brown,Brittany Blaskovits

doi:10.3389/fpsyg.2022.818009

Abstract

We conducted a narrative review of existing literature to identify the knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) necessary for officers who police in democratic societies to successfully manage potentially volatile police–public interactions. This review revealed 10 such KSAs that are frequently discussed in the literature. These KSAs include: (1) knowledge of policies and laws; (2) an understanding of mental health-related issues; (3) an ability to interact effectively with, and show respect for, individuals from diverse community groups; (4) awareness and management of stress effects; (5) communication skills; (6) decision-making and problem-solving skills; (7) perceptual skills; (8) motor skills related to use-of-force; (9) emotion and behavior regulation; and (10) an ability to treat people in a procedurally just manner. Following our review, we conducted semi-structured interviews (N = 7) with researchers who specialize in police training and adult education, interactions with individuals in crisis, and racialized policing, as well as two police trainers with expertise in de-escalation and use-of-force training. These interviews confirmed the importance of the 10 KSAs and highlighted two additional KSAs that are likely to be critical: understanding the role of policing in a free and democratic society and tactical knowledge and skills. To ensure that police–public interactions are managed effectively, police trainers may want to focus on the development and evaluation of these KSAs—something that is not always done currently.

Highlights

Police officers are frequently involved in potentially volatile interactions with the public (Baldwin et al, 2016; Shjarback and White, 2016)
In addition to being able to apply a range of skills in a competent manner, police officers must consider a range of other issues when managing police–public interactions
For an article to be considered relevant to our review, it had to focus on a clearly defined KSA that may be relevant for managing police–public interactions, and it had to be examined within the context of public policing in a democratic society

Summary

INTRODUCTION

Police officers are frequently involved in potentially volatile interactions with the public (Baldwin et al, 2016; Shjarback and White, 2016). In Canada, police officers are often trained to apply “NRA principles” during their interactions with the public (e.g., Peel Regional Police, 2015). This encourages officers to think about whether their decisions are necessary (e.g., to address the threat), risk effective (e.g., avoiding unnecessary harm to the individual, officer, and others), and acceptable (e.g., legally, publicly, and ethically). Training is provided to police officers in many countries to increase the likelihood that these sorts of outcomes can be achieved during challenging interactions with the public For this training to be effective, must it adhere to principles of training and learning, and it must arguably target relevant knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs).. While we believe that the value of the identified KSAs, and the training that targets them, likely generalizes to other settings, the research and examples we draw on throughout this paper are heavily biased toward policing in these contexts

METHODOLOGY

Findings

CONCLUSION