Police Officers Research Articles

Hate crime disclaimers: barriers to education and policing of hate crimes in Sweden

ABSTRACT Policing hate crimes presents numerous challenges. Police officers play a crucial role in the initial identification of these crimes, yet a lack of knowledge and training often hampers their ability to do so effectively. Despite increased attention to hate crimes over the past decades, the effectiveness of targeted police training remains underexplored. This study examines the barriers faced by Swedish police trainees in recognising hate crimes during a 5-week course on hate crime and discrimination. Drawing on trainees’ accounts and reinterpretations of racist and homophobic hate crimes, the article identifies and codes six central disclaimers that serve to disqualify a crime as a hate crime: the trivialisation disclaimer, the lack-of-evidence disclaimer, the not-the-only-motive disclaimer, the perpetrator’s-mental-status disclaimer, the victim-blaming disclaimer, and the ingroup-bias disclaimer. These disclaimers provide insights that can enhance police education and the initial investigation process of hate crimes. The study also discusses how these barriers to recording hate crimes can impact the investigation process.

Tokenism and the Concrete Ceiling: Navigating Racial and Gender Disparities in the Experiences of Black Female Police Officers

Tokenism and the Concrete Ceiling: Navigating Racial and Gender Disparities in the Experiences of Black Female Police Officers

Motivations for a career in law enforcement: comparing police officers and deputy sheriffs

Motivations for a career in law enforcement: comparing police officers and deputy sheriffs

THE ORGANISATIONAL STRUCTURE AND EFFECTIVENESS OF VIGILANTE GROUPS IN KAURA LOCAL GOVERNMENT AREA, KADUNA STATE

The high level of crime and insecurity in many communities including Kaura LGA, Kaduna State and security vacuum left by the deficiencies of the State and its security forces necessitated the establishment of various types of vigilante groups. This study was conducted to investigate the organisation, performance and challenges of vigilante groups in Kaura LGA, Kaduna State, Nigeria. The study was ushered by five (5) research objectives. The Cross- Sectional Survey and Case Study Design were adopted for the purpose of the study because of the nature of the population of study. The population of the study consists of all vigilante group members across the five (5) wards, officers and men of the Nigeria Police Force at the Kaura Divisional Headquarters, three Police Outpost and all adult members of the community across the five (5) wards in Kaura LGA. The Multi-Stage Sampling technique, the Systematic Sampling, the Purposive Sampling techniques and Cluster Sampling techniques were used in selecting 224 respondents and three (3) Vigilantes’ group leaders, three (3) Wards Heads, three (3) Police Officers and three (3) Community members. Data for the study were collected using two methods which are quantitative and qualitative, two instruments which are the questionnaire and interview guide. Quantitative data obtained was analysed using the Statistical Package for Social Sciences (SPSS) version 23, qualitative data were analyzed manually based on the substantive issues raised in the study thematically. The findings from the study revealed that there are many types of vigilante groups in existence in the study area but only KADVS has legal backing from the State Government. The study also found out that these Vigilante groups perform different functions and there exist good partnership between the vigilante groups and the police, also, the services of vigilante groups are found to be effective and the vigilante groups faces many challenges. The study recommended improves funding, training, retraining and full legal backing for all vigilante groups in Kaura LGA.

Research note: exploring the association of work attitudes among Indian police officers

ABSTRACT Job involvement, job satisfaction, and organizational commitment are important work attitudes. Several past studies on police work attitudes have treated the three work attitudes as unrelated concepts. The current study examined the association between these three work attitudes, and it also proposed a path model where job involvement is related to job satisfaction and organizational commitment and job satisfaction is associated with organizational commitment. Further, this study examined two different types of bonds to the organization: continuance commitment (i.e. bonding to the organization to protect investments in the organization) and affective commitment (i.e. bonding to the organization because of positive treatment). Using data from a survey of 827 police officers working in the Haryana State of India, the path model was supported. Job involvement had associations with higher job satisfaction and affective commitment and an association with lower continuance commitment. Job satisfaction had a relationship with lower continuance commitment and a relationship with higher affective commitment.

Influence of Police Response Time and Investigative Practices on Homicide Case Clearance Rates in Kajiado West Sub County, Kajiado County, Kenya

Purpose: This study examines the influence of police response time and investigative practices on homicide case clearance rates in Kajiado West Sub County, Kenya. Police response time is crucial for securing crime scenes, preserving evidence, and identifying suspects, while investigative practices such as forensic analysis, witness collaboration, and crime scene management play a significant role in case resolution. Methodology: The study employed a descriptive research design, utilizing both primary and secondary data collected from 109 police officers through structured questionnaires and official crime records. Data analysis was conducted using SPSS Version 24.0, incorporating descriptive and inferential statistics, including multiple linear regression analysis. Findings: Findings reveal that police response time significantly impacts homicide case clearance, with a strong correlation (r = 0.734, p < 0.01) and 53.9% of clearance rate variance explained by response time. Investigative practices also have a significant impact (r = 0.746, p < 0.01), explaining 55.6% of the variance in homicide clearance rates. Regression analysis confirms that improving response time (B = 0.596, p = 0.000) and investigative practices (B = 0.599, p = 0.000) significantly enhance clearance rates. Unique Contribution to Theory, Practice and Policy: To enhance homicide case clearance in Kajiado West Sub County, police response time should be reduced to below 30 minutes by increasing patrol vehicles and upgrading dispatch systems.

Explaining police officer intentions to leave their career field

ABSTRACT Research examining police officer retention has generally relied upon general work environment predictors to explain intentions to leave a police career. Recent research has applied theory explaining departures as a multistep process, where job satisfaction and stress mediate the relationship between work conditions and leaving the profession. These prior inquiries have been methodologically limited in the number of predictors and agencies included. The current inquiry uses a survey of eight police agencies to test the conceptual framework that job satisfaction and stress mediate the relationship between workplace environment and intentions to leave policing. Findings indicate that many commonly theorized predictors of job satisfaction and stress do not directly influence intentions to seek another career (i.e. role clarity, job danger, autonomy, relations with coworkers, and value congruence with shift), but do display an indirect relationship via job satisfaction and stress. Most predictors that do hold a direct relationship with intentions to leave were partially mediated by job satisfaction and stress.

Socio-cultural barriers to child sexual abuse investigation in Uganda: Experiences of police officers at Kamuli District central police station

Child sexual abuse has been widely recognised as a global crisis and a violation of fundamental rights of children. Irrespective of this recognition, child sexual abuse remains pervasive, underreported and poorly investigated. This paper forms part of a qualitative case study that aimed at establishing challenges faced by police officers in investigating cases of child sexual abuse in Kamuli District, Eastern Uganda. The study utilised purposive sampling to select 14 police officers from three departments of Kamuli District central police station which included; Criminal Investigation Department, Child and Family Protection Unit and Sexual Gender-Based Violence Department. Data collection was conducted using face-to-face in-depth interviews. The instruments of data collection were the semi-structured interview guides while data analysis was done using thematic analysis. One of the major themes that were generated through interviews with police officers included the socio-cultural factors that hinder them from investigating child sexual abuse. Discussed in this paper are these factors, which include; failure and delayed disclosure of abuse/abusers, ignorance, community beliefs, inadequate cooperation from parents and guardians, and taboos regarding discussion of sex in public. Apart from reflecting limited education and awareness about the impact of child sexual abuse, these challenges show that in Uganda, child sexual abuse is taken as a private matter which should be settled informally between the perpetrators and victims’ families. The findings of this study make a contribution to limited research about child sexual abuse in Uganda and to the policy-making and practice on crimes of the kind.

Fitness Profile of Police Officers from Rapid Intervention Teams of the Lisbon Metropolitan Command

Background: A rapid intervention team is a broad category of special teams used by police and emergency respondents to cover various needs. It is essential to ensure the safety and well-being of people in emergencies, minimising the risk of harm and maximising the chances of survival. Objective: This study aimed (i) to identify the fitness profiles and levels of POs from the EIR of the Lisbon Metropolitan Command (COMETLIS, PSP, Portugal), considering age classes; (ii) to directly compare the observed fitness profiles to previous research and normative data; and (iii) to compare the fitness profile of POs from the EIR with cadets from the Police Academy. Methods: This cross-sectional observational study included the participation of 121 male POs from the EIR of the Lisbon Metropolitan Command (Portugal) and 92 male cadets from the Police Academy (Lisbon, Portugal). The assessment protocol sequence involved the collection of biosocial data (age classes: ≤29 years; 30–39 years; 40–49 years), a body size assessment, and a fitness assessment (horizontal jump, handgrip strength, 60 s sit-ups and 20 m shuttle run). Results: (i) In the ≤29 years age class, POs performed better in all fitness tests (highlighting that the age class had a statistically significant effect on performance in the horizontal jump, sit-ups, 20 m shuttle run, and predicted VO2max), and they showed significantly better performance than cadets in handgrip (left, right, and sum), and significantly worse performance in sit-ups and predicted VO2max. (ii) In the 30–39 years age class, POs had significantly worse performance than cadets in the horizontal jump, sit-ups, 20 m shuttle run, and predicted VO2max, even after controlling for age. Conclusions: (i) The fitness performance decreased as the age class became older; (ii) the handgrip strength and cardiovascular capacity attributes were between the standard and excellent levels according to the ACSM guidelines for the general population; (iii) POs from the EIR were stronger than cadets in terms of handgrip strength but weaker in terms of lower limb power, abdominal muscular endurance, and aerobic capacity; and (iv) the differences observed between POs from the EIR and cadets in the 30–39 years age class emphasise the importance of physical training after the training period and throughout professional life.

O Monitoramento Eletrônico na Gestão Pública Penal

This article aims to address the legal aspects of electronic monitoring of individuals as a form of public management in the penal system, defining and detailing its operation, as well as the advantages and disadvantages of using this electronic mechanism. Electronic monitoring allows real-time tracking of individuals through a monitoring center, assisting the state in overseeing compliance with judicial determinations while also alleviating prison overcrowding—a measure that has been widely adopted and debated in recent times. This article focuses on contextualizing the issue of electronic monitoring in the country, covering all its pragmatic aspects. To achieve this, it is necessary to provide a brief overview of public penal management and the national prison system. Brazil has one of the largest prison populations in the world, and due to a lack of investment, its penitentiary system is in a state of collapse. Public servants in the system, such as police officers and prison guards, suffer from a lack of infrastructure. Given this dire situation, there has been a recent increase in judicial decisions mandating the use of electronic monitoring instead of incarceration, making this indirect surveillance system a growing reality. Whether it will bring more benefits than harm to the penal system remains to be seen.

Standardizing ESP Pedagogy: A Critical Evaluation of Language Training for Law Enforcement Cadets

This article critically evaluates the English Language and Police Terminology textbook, developed for second-, third-, and fourth-year cadets at the Hellenic Police Officers School. Divided into three proficiency modules (B1, B2-C1, C2), the textbook delivers standardized English for Specific Purposes (ESP) materials aligned with law enforcement needs, incorporating scenario-based learning and specialized terminology for authentic contexts. The evaluation, conducted with 50 advanced-level cadets, used criteria such as adaptability to diverse policing contexts, comprehensiveness of specialized vocabulary, and the effectiveness of scenario-based learning tasks. Grammar assessments focused on tense application in police scenarios, while vocabulary retention was assessed through targeted exercises from the 'More Words You Need' sub-section. Early data showed notable improvements in grammar accuracy and vocabulary retention. Structured questionnaires indicated a positive reception, with cadets finding scenario-based tasks, such as simulating police interviews, engaging but challenging in role-playing exercises. This textbook marks the first systematic, textbook-based approach for teaching ESP to police cadets in Greece, offering a structured, progressive curriculum that hones all four language skills—reading, writing, speaking, and listening. This contrasts with previous ad hoc approaches, where materials were individually curated, leading to inconsistencies in instruction. As the pilot phase unfolds, this innovative effort has the potential to yield significant learning outcomes and serve as a model for uniformed academies domestically and abroad. Documenting the textbook’s early implementation, this article sets the stage for larger-scale studies and future adaptations for non-English speaking police academies.

Occupational health status of traffic police personnel and traffic brigade members in Gujarat, India

Traffic police play a crucial role in ensuring public safety and preventing accidents. This study assesses the occupational health of traffic police officers and brigade members in Gujarat. A cross-sectional study was conducted with 450 personnel, utilizing a semi-structured questionnaire and clinical examinations, including pulmonary function tests, blood tests, and lipid profiles. Results showed that male participants, particularly those with over 5 years of experience, had higher BMIs and reported elevated blood pressure, diabetes, and respiratory issues. Lung function declined with longer service, with significant reductions in FVC (p < 0.001) and FEV1 (p < 0.01). Female officers faced anemia, while male participants showed high cholesterol. Musculoskeletal discomfort, especially knee and back pain, was prevalent due to prolonged standing. These findings highlight the need for tailored health policies, regular checkups, protective gear, and ergonomic uniforms for Gujarat’s traffic personnel.

The effect of job crafting on work performance: Mediating role of work engagement and social capital

Police as law enforcement officers often have limited means to achieve their work performance. Therefore, job crafting skills are important to obtain optimal work performance. This research analyzes the direct and indirect influence of job crafting on work performance through work engagement and social capital. The research method used was explanatory research with research samples consisting of members of the Indonesian National Police from various units spread throughout Indonesia. The sample number in this research was 601 police officers who had worked for at least one year, taken using convenience sampling. Partial least squares structural equation modeling is the method of analysis employed. According to the study's findings, job crafting improves work engagement, job crafting improves social capital, job crafting improves job work performance, work engagement improves work work performance, and social capital improves work work performance. Through work engagement and social capital, job crafting has a favorable and significant impact on work work performance for Indonesian National Police personnel. This study suggests that job making skills can be used to improve the work work performance of Indonesian National Police personnel. This research has limitations is the sample obtained was not taken proportionally per the regional police legal area in Indonesia.

Occupational stress and sleep as adjuvant factors in the development of parafunctional oral habits and decreased of oral health

ABSTRACT Stress is an inherent biological response to various stressors, which, when experienced chronically, can lead to a disruption in the body’s homeostasis, resulting in pathophysiological changes. This raises the question of to what extent the stressful environment experienced by military police officers in the state of Rio de Janeiro, combined with poor sleep quality, influences the development of parafunctional habits and impacts their oral health. Military male police officers (211); 37.8 ± 5.5 years old, 86.6 ± 12.1 kg, overweight (27.7 ± 3.5 kg/m2), 11.9 ± 5.6 years of experience; were divided into two groups and were submitted a sociodemographic questionnaire and evaluated for the presence of occupational stress, sleep quality (SQ), mandibular function (MFIQ) and oral health self-perception (OHIP-14). They were diagnosed with poor sleep quality (59.5%/p = .023) and symptoms of occupational stress (34.6%); while psychological discomfort (p = .005) and the act of chewing hard food are the items that cause the greatest negative impact on oral health (OHIP-14) and jaw function (MFIQ). Self-perception of oral health can be directly correlated with occupational stress (p < .05) and poorer sleepers had higher values of functional mandibular impairment (p = .022). Oral health and mandibular function did not negatively affect these soldiers, who were able to carry out their work and social activities normally.

Police officers’ perceptions and adaptation to body-worn cameras during mental health calls

Purpose Police officers increasingly deal with individuals with mental health problems. These interactions are more likely to result in the use of force and fatalities. To monitor these situations, several experts have recommended the use of body-worn cameras (BWCs) by police organizations. Past research and evaluations have overlooked how BWCs may influence mental health-related interventions, creating a knowledge gap regarding how BWC policies should oversee them. This paper, thus, aims to draw upon the street-level bureaucracy framework to explore how police officers perceive the usefulness of BWCs during interventions involving mental health issues and how they exercise discretion in activating them. Design/methodology/approach The authors analyzed comments on mental health-related interventions captured by BWCs from 83 interviews with 61 police officers. Findings The findings shed light on how BWCs may positively or negatively affect interactions with individuals with mental health issues and how officers adapt their activation practices to mitigate potential negative impacts and enhance potential positive effects on their work. Practical implications This study reiterates that the use of BWCs is not a simple solution for mental health-related calls, highlighting the need for a formal evaluation after implementation. It calls for BWC activation policies that reflect the dynamic and complex realities of police work. It does not advocate for a total ban on recording, mandatory filming or unrestricted officer discretion, but rather a balanced approach. It calls for policies that are both aligned with police leaders objectives and street-level officers’ ability to develop alternative and adaptative practices. Originality/value This study provides guidance for policymakers in developing BWC policies that will improve police–civilian interactions in the context of mental health crises while considering the ability of street-level officers to create their own alternative practices.

Smoked or Bewitched? The Relationship Between Cannabis Use and Mental Illness Among the Shona Persons in Zimbabwe.

The metanarrative of biomedicine and "psy" discipline (psychology, psychoanalysis, psychiatry etc.) asserts that cannabis use is one of the fundamental causes of mental illness among different men in the Rushinga district of Zimbabwe. These metanarratives, however, appear to have universalised, medicalised and marginalised the conception and representation of mental illness as enmeshed in local epistemologies and ontologies of mental illness. Based on local epistemologies, elders in Diwa largely trace mental illness to discursive sociocultural explanations rarely linked to cannabis use. This paper answers the central question: How is the use of cannabis by different persons related to mental illness in the Rushinga district? I argue that community members, health providers and police officers want to think of persons, especially men, with mental illness as "mad" and immoral cannabis users who brought illnesses upon themselves and lack personal responsibility based on Western neoliberal and biomedical metanarratives. However, this framing is not helpful, it is detrimental to treatment and social reputation, as it bypasses local cultural explanations that may be protective and that offer clearer guidelines for treatment.

The Prevalence of Terrorist Motives Among Civilians Who Kill Police Officers: A Mixed-Method Analysis

ABSTRACT Alleging a “war on cops,” critics of US movements for police reform claim that the movements are inspiring civilians to murder officers. While studies find no increase in civilian-on-police homicides after these movements gained prominence in 2014, no research has directly evaluated this claim by testing for temporal patterns in terrorist motivations in civilian-on-police homicides. In this study, interrupted time series analysis of all recorded homicides of US police between 2008 and 2021 (n = 595) reveals no significant increase in civilian-on-police homicides with terrorist motives after 2014, though certain ideological sub-categories did significantly increase. Contrary to the “war on cops” narrative, very few homicides were inspired by protests against police, and even offenders with such motivations were also driven by mental illness and far-right influences. Results also showed that offenders who are veterans or are mentally ill were several times more likely to have terrorist intent. Several case studies illustrate both terrorist and ideologically-motivated but non-terrorist civilian-on-police homicides.

Thermal comfort and indoor air quality in some workplaces of the Polizia di Stato (State Police) in Italy

Introduction. Little can be found in the literature about thermal comfort and indoor air quality (IAQ) in law enforcement workplaces. This study, based on environmental surveys carried out by the Centro Sanitario Polifunzionale of Milan (Italian State Police Health Service Department), aims to assess the thermal comfort and IAQ in some of the Italian State Police workplaces. Materials and methods. Measurements were performed in some indoor workplaces such as offices, archives, laboratories and guard-houses in various regions (Lombardia, Emilia Romagna, Liguria, Veneto, Trentino Alto-Adige) of Northern Italy. The PMV/PPD model developed by Fangar for the evaluation of the thermal comfort was used. We measured both CO2 concentration and relative humidity indoor levels for the evaluation of IAQ. We used Chi square and t Student tests to study both prevalence of thermal discomfort and low IAQ, and their differences between summer and winter.Results. For the purposes of the present study we carried out 488 measurements in 36 buildings (260 in winter and 228 in summer). Our results showed that thermal comfort was reached in 95% and 68% of environmental measurements (in winter and summer, respectively). In summer, we measured different types of thermal discomfort (it was almost always ranged ‡0,7&lt;PMV &lt; or 1&lt;PMV&lt;2). As regard to IAQ, CO2 exceeded the threshold limit value (1000 ppm) in 39% (winter) and 9% (summer) of our measurements. Chi-square test showed a statistically significant difference (p&lt;.0001) between summer and winter for all outcomes considered. Indeed, thermal comfort was better in winter than summer (X} = 61.0795), while IAQ was found to be better in the summer than winter considering both the CO2 1000 ppm and 1200 ppm threshold values (X} = 56.9004 and X? = 8.8845 respectively, p&lt;.0001). Prevalence of low relative humidity (RH&lt;30%) in winter was higher than in summer (X} = 124.7764, p&lt;.0001).Conclusions. Even though this study did not report any situation of risk to Italian police officers health and safety, it has highlighted some potential issues in some of the examined workplaces, concerning thermal comfort in summer and IAQ in winter. Regarding the risk assessment process, simple and inexpensive preventive measures are already feasible in the 'observation phase' of the risk assessment, before execution of instrumental environmental survey. According to the technical standards and risk assessment models, this way might increase both comfort levels for workers employed in indoor environments and the effectiveness of the risk assessment process, through the optimization of available resources.

An Extended Impact Evaluation of Real-Time Crime Center (RTCC) Technologies on Violent Crime Outcomes

Recent empirical research has found that real-time crime centers (RTCCs) deployed within local area police departments can improve case clearances and facilitate crime reduction through the rapid deployment of information to responding police officers. Nonetheless, the nascent body of research in this area has been limited by short post implementation evaluation periods and none have examined their impact on case adjudication. This study reports on findings from a follow up evaluation of the Miami Real-Time Crime Center, which assessed case clearances over an extended five-year, four-month post-implementation time-period and examined the impact on case processing after arrest. Like the prior evaluation, findings revealed a significant improvement in case clearances over the extended evaluation period, with RTCC-assisted cases exhibiting even higher clearance odds compared to non-RTCC-assisted cases than what was found in the initial study. Findings also revealed an improved ability of RTCCs to facilitate arrests of multiple offenders responsible for a given crime incident. Analysis of case adjudication between the two samples found no significant improvement in the odds of conviction. These findings further the emerging evidence base of RTCC effectiveness in improving police practice.

Participation and Power in the Civilianized Police: How Feminine and Professional Symbols Challenge the Masculine Police Community

In this study, we examine the conditions for participation in criminal investigation practices among two professional categories: police officers and civilians. Specifically, we analyse how participation is shaped and conditioned through the use of symbols and symbolic actions in relation to doing gender and professional identity. The Swedish police have addressed staffing shortages by hiring civilians, predominantly graduate women, as criminal investigators. We interviewed 71 civilians and police officers, focusing on their perspectives on the nature of investigative work, civilian integration, and the distinctions between the two professional groups. Additionally, the data includes 11 days of ethnographic observations at five different investigative units. Using reflexive thematic analysis and a sociomaterial perspective, we constructed four ideal types of participation – defensive civilian, hybrid police, hybrid civilian and defensive police. We argue that these ideal types of participation are positioned in relation to orientations of doing gender and professional identity, and furthermore associated with different categories of symbols and symbolic actions. Our study enhances our understanding of relational power in workplace learning, particularly social ordering through legitimacy and status.