NCJ Number
67921
Journal
Journal of Community Psychology Volume: 7 Issue: 3 Dated: (JULY 1979) Pages: 210-219
Date Published
1979
Length
10 pages
Annotation
THIS STUDY EXAMINED THE OUTCOME OF A POLICE TRAINING PROGRAM WITH A GENERAL SYSTEMS BASED COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY ORIENTATION IN QUEENSLAND, AUSTRALIA.
Abstract
THE OBJECTIVES OF THIS POLICE TRAINING PROGRAM WERE TO IMPROVE POLICE-COMMUNITY RELATIONS, SENSITIZE POLICE TO SPECIFIC PROBLEM GROUPS, PROVIDE INCREASED KNOWLEDGE AND UNDERSTANDING OF THE FULL RANGE OF HUMAN BEHAVIOR AS IT RELATES TO POLICE WORK, DEVELOP SKILLS IN WORKING WITH THE MEDIA AND PRESENT A BETTER IMAGE OF POLICE, AND EXAMINE CONTEMPORARY ISSUES IN A WORKSHOP SETTING. THE 20 SENIOR SERGEANTS ANSWERED ATTITUDE QUESTIONNAIRES WITH 52 ITEMS FOR ASSESSING ABORIGINES, CRIMINALS, HOMOSEXUALS, MENTALLY ILL, THE MEDIA AND MIGRANTS. A CONTROL GROUP OF 20 SENIOR SERGEANTS WHO WERE TAKING A BUSINESS ADMINISTRATION COURSE ALSO ASSESSED THESE 6 TARGET GROUPS. IT WAS FOUND THAT ONLY ONE OF THE QUEENSLAND SERGEANTS DID NOT UNDERSTAND ALL OF THE TOPICS CLEARLY. ALSO, THE FORMAT OF THIS COURSE WAS UNANIMOUSLY FAVORED OVER TRADITIONAL POLICE TRAINING FORMATS. THERE WAS NO CHANGE WITH REGARD TO THE OVERALL POLICE VIEW OF CRIMINALS, THE MEDIA, AND MIGRANTS ON THE MEASURE OF PSYCHOLOGICAL SENSE OF COMMUNITY. THERE WERE FAVORABLE CHANGES TOWARD THE MENTALLY ILL AND ABORIGINES. THERE WAS ONLY A SHORT-TERM NEGATIVE EFFECT TOWARD HOMOSEXUALS. FOLLOWUP STUDIES SHOWED THAT POSITIVE EFFECTS WERE LONG TERM AND NEGATIVE EFFECTS WERE SHORT TERM. THE COMMISSIONER OF POLICE HAS SCHEDULED A COURSE SIMILAR TO THIS ONE FOR OTHER SENIOR SERGEANTS, WHILE MANY OF THE ELEMENTS OF THIS COURSE WERE INTRODUCED AT THE QUEENSLAND POLICE ACADEMY FOR CADET LEVEL TRAINING. THE STUDY CONCLUDED THAT A COMMUNITY PSYCHOLOGY APPROACH TO POLICE-PSYCHOLOGIST COLLABORATION IS POSSIBLY MORE EFFICIENT THAN OTHER APPROACHES IN THAT NEGATIVE OR UNDESIRABLE INCIDENTS ARE LESS LIKELY TO OCCUR. THERE ARE 24 REFERENCES. (JLF)