Police officers' learning in relation to emergency management: A case study

Abstract

Commanders have an important role in the management of emergencies, as their responsibility is to lead and coordinate the response. This study examines how police officers with command responsibilities learn to carry out emergency response work and manage emergencies. The empirical data was collected through participant observation in the police service before the terrorist attacks on the Government Complex and on the Labor Party youth camp on Utøya Island in Norway on 22 July 2011, thus giving the opportunity firstly to gain direct experience from police officers’ work and learning activities and then to analyze how appropriate and sufficient these activities are for actually preparing personnel to manage a major emergency. The response to and management of the terrorist attacks was, on the whole, not as good as it should have been, mainly because of inadequate exercise of command by the police. From a learning point of view, these weaknesses are not surprising. This study shows that the learning activities in the police service are mainly directed toward daily police work and normal emergencies, and do not sufficiently prepare police officers and commanders to manage major novel crises such as the terrorist attacks on 22 July.