The communicative competence of the National Police: current challenges in the context of quarantine measures during a pandemic

Abstract

The paper emphasizes that communication skills become a priority among the most important qualities that a National Police officer should possess. The article emphasizes that this is especially true during period of quarantine measures, when the level of anxiety of the population increases. As a result, there are certain psychological barriers to communication that a National Police officer must avoid and overcome when necessary. These are logical, stylistic, semantic and phonetic barriers. The research determines that the mask mode also makes special demands on communication, both verbal and nonverbal aspects. The article focuses attention on the fact that during the period of quarantine measures, special requirements are placed on police officers when choosing and maintaining the area and distance of communication. After all, traditional rules are violated so as not to endanger both citizens and the policeman himself. Due to the tense situation during the COVID-19 pandemic and the special emotional state of citizens, law enforcement officers must have an arsenal of skills to relieve stress with the help of language, be correct, restrain emotions, even under mental stress. The article notes that during the quarantine there is an increase in cases of domestic violence because of forced isolation, economic problems, and lack of personal space of family members. Thus, in order to resolve family and domestic conflicts, a police officer must have not only communicative but also conflictological competence. The paper provides practical recommendations for the peaceful settlement of conflicts, identifies methods of communicative influence on people, and lists the main psychotechnics of influence. Thus, the communicative competence of police officers depends not only on stabilizing the situation during a pandemic, not only on public order and the criminal situation, but also on increasing public confidence in the activities of the state and state institutions represented by law enforcement agencies.