NCJ Number
133128
Journal
Police Journal Volume: 64 Issue: 4 Dated: (October-December 1991) Pages: 314-320
Date Published
1991
Length
7 pages
Annotation
Police agencies in Australia are debating the advantages and drawbacks of becoming a recognized profession; police at all levels are hearing the phrase "police professionalism" in relation to their occupation.
Abstract
One method of acquiring professional status is to develop courses of study or degree programs based on a formula acceptable to police agencies, academic institutions, employing authorities, and the general public. Unprecedented economic, political, and social changes are influencing the work of police in Australia. As a result, the major areas of interest in police management education are changing to encompass concepts including vision, creativity, imagination, networking, and integration. Ethics and ethical behavior are of increasing relevance and importance to police as are issues of accountability, flexibility, and adaptability. Developments in Australia which will impact on policing include ethnic problems which remain unresolved in relation to police-citizen interactions and police recruitment. In the United Kingdom, four major areas of interest in terms of policing changes include the selection and appointment of senior officers, central involvement in planning police strategic direction, the role of the scientific and technical services, and the development of a new form of partnership between the Home Office and various police forces. 9 references