German police recruits’ perception of skill transfer from training to the field

Abstract

In order optimally to prepare police officers for the demands in the field, police training has to be designed representatively. However, for the German context, there is a scarcity of research investigating to what extent training meets the demands of the field. To fill this gap, the current study examined if police training in Germany meets the field demands of police officers based on the perspective of police recruits. Thirteen recruits from a German police force were interviewed in a semi-structured way to identify possible matches and discrepancies between training and the field. The qualitative were was analysed using content analysis. The results revealed that recruits valued police training very positively because they were able to apply learned skills and tactics in the field. However, results also indicated that: (a) key informational variables present in the field were missing in training, namely chaotic, highly dynamic situations; and (b) police officers need to be adaptable and flexible in the field to cope with the demands. Finally, the results suggested that police training focuses narrowly on dealing with extreme threats, which differs from the experiences recruits had in the field and may have drawbacks because continuously perceiving social situations as threatening and dangerous is a risk factor for aggressive behaviour. Taken together, the current study provides further insights into the wants and needs of recruits in police training.

“The Situation is Quite Different.” Perceptions of Violent Conflicts and Training Among German Police Officers

“…When asked to reflect on the functionality of police training in reference to a concrete conflict situation they had experienced, a vast number of police officers pointed to problems during training that limited its function. This finding is of high interest, since for police training in Germany, little is known in regards to its effectiveness (Staller et al, 2021a;Koerner et al, 2021b). The experts' opinions point to problems of content and pedagogical aspects related to the design of training, which were mainly identified as an overall poor relationship between training and application in reality, putting an emphasis on dysfunctional techniques and isolated exercises.…”

“…It is noteworthy that a large number of police officers stated that they had been better prepared for the conflict situation by their private martial arts background than through the use of mandatory training programs. While national and international data already pointed to issues of problematic content as likely causes for the disintegration between training and the field (Jager et al, 2013;Renden, et al, 2015a), pedagogical issues came into focus only recently (Staller et al, 2021b;Koerner, 2021).…”

“…Research can help to base decisions on all levels on the best current available evidence (Bennell et al, 2021), as well as enable their reflection. Thus, methodically controlled organisational knowledge is key for the further professionalisation and empowerment of police operation and police training in Germany (Koerner et al, 2021b).…”

“…I know that nothing can happen to me in here, maybe a little injury, I have to expect worse things outside." (TN12; Staller et al, 2021b).…”

“…firearms training, self-defence training and tactical training are offered in a separate manner(Staller et al, 2021b) following a linear fashion of delivery. While such training models have previously been problematized and are related to questions of effective coaching in police training in general(Cushion 2020, Cushion, 2021 Koerner and Staller 2018), current questions concerning the optimization of German police training revolve partly around how police training could be delivered more effectively.…”