NCJ Number
174751
Journal
Criminal Justice Commission Research Paper Series Volume: 3 Issue: 3 Dated: October 1996
Date Published
1996
Length
8 pages
Annotation
This article considers whether there are noticeable differences between the ethical perspectives of male and female officers and the styles of policing that they employ.
Abstract
The article briefly reviews previous research in the area, presents data on the attitudes and behavior of male and female rank and file police in the Queensland Police Service, and discusses the implications of this research for developing strategies for promoting ethical conduct among police. An influx of women into policing will not, of itself, result in a significant weakening of the existing police culture. However, police services could benefit from examining the ways in which skilled policewomen perform their duties and then educating male police officers in these techniques. Although female police officers may not be inherently more ethical than their male counterparts, greater use of women in operational positions will more likely lead to fewer complaints, particularly about the use of force. This is an important potential benefit, as allegations of assault are one of the largest categories of complaints against police. Notes, tables, figures, references