The Edmund Rice Police Recruit Program: A Case Study of the Collaborative Program between Edmund Rice Camps Tasmania and Tasmania Police, as a means to meet Contemporary Demands of Police Education
Translated title
The Edmund Rice Police Recruit Program
Author
Hæstrup, Johanna
Term
4. Term
Publication year
2021
Submitted on
2021-02-03
Pages
76
Abstract
This thesis examines a police training initiative in Tasmania. The Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, Tasmania Police, and Edmund Rice Camps Tasmania developed the Edmund Rice Police Recruit Program, in which recruits from the Tasmania Police Academy take part in a weekend camp. There, they practice communication and teamwork by working directly with vulnerable young people. The aim is to prepare future officers for new expectations of professionalism and for improved interaction with socially disadvantaged groups. To set the initiative in context, the thesis includes a focused literature review: a brief history of crime control and police education, a new way of understanding vulnerability, and an overview of the often tense relationships between police and youth. Against this backdrop, the thesis explores how the program shapes recruits’ attitudes toward vulnerable youth and their views of the police role, and whether it can help meet the profession’s new demands. The study uses data from an existing evaluation report on the program: three semi-structured interviews, one focus group, two observations, and statistical findings from a larger survey of recruits. Using an adaptive approach—a flexible way of analyzing that adjusts to the data and context—the thesis reanalyzes these materials. It also draws on the ideas of reflective learning (John Dewey) and reflection-in-action (Donald A. Schön), meaning learning by thinking about experience during and after practice. The analysis indicates very positive perceptions of the program from both recruits and course coordinators. The weekend camps act as an “eye-opener”: they link classroom theory with concrete experience and provide greater insight into the lives of vulnerable youth. The program is also assessed as a cost-effective way to strengthen practice-based learning. The thesis does not include data on long-term outcomes. It recommends future research that follows participants over time.
Denne afhandling undersøger et konkret uddannelsesinitiativ for politirekrutter i Tasmanien. Tasmanian Institute of Law Enforcement Studies, Tasmania Police og Edmund Rice Camps Tasmania har udviklet Edmund Rice Police Recruit Program, hvor rekrutter fra Tasmania Police Academy deltager i en weekendlejr. Her øver de kommunikation og samarbejde ved at arbejde direkte sammen med sårbare unge. Formålet er at ruste fremtidens betjente til nye krav om professionalisme og bedre håndtering af socialt udsatte grupper. For at sætte initiativet i perspektiv rummer afhandlingen et afgrænset litteraturreview: en kort historik over kriminalitetskontrol og politiuddannelse, en ny måde at forstå begrebet sårbarhed på, samt et overblik over de ofte anspændte relationer mellem politi og unge. Med dette som baggrund undersøger afhandlingen, hvordan programmet påvirker rekrutternes holdninger til sårbare unge og deres syn på politiets rolle, og om programmet kan være et redskab til at imødekomme de nye krav til politiet. Undersøgelsen bygger på data fra en eksisterende evalueringsrapport om programmet: tre semistrukturerede interviews, ét fokusgruppeinterview, to observationer og statistiske resultater fra en større spørgeskemaundersøgelse blandt rekrutter. Ved hjælp af en adaptiv tilgang—en fleksibel analyseform, der løbende justerer sig efter data og kontekst—genanalyseres materialet. Analysen anvender også begreberne refleksiv læring (John Dewey) og refleksion-i-handling (Donald A. Schön), som kort sagt handler om at lære ved at tænke over erfaringer under og efter praksis. Analysen peger på en meget positiv vurdering af programmet fra både rekrutter og studiekoordinatorer. Weekendlejrene fungerer som en øjenåbner: de forbinder teori fra uddannelsen med konkrete erfaringer og giver større indsigt i sårbare unges liv. Programmet vurderes samtidig som en omkostningseffektiv måde at styrke praksisnær læring på. Afhandlingen har ikke data til at vurdere langtidseffekter. Der anbefales derfor fremtidig forskning, som følger deltagerne over tid.
[This apstract has been rewritten with the help of AI based on the project's original abstract]
Keywords