NCJ Number
88608
Date Published
1981
Length
16 pages
Annotation
The British police display sufficient correspondence to the professional model of an occupation to warrant consideration as a profession; however, there are disadvantages as well as benefits for police professionalism, and certain obstacles must be overcome.
Abstract
The concept of professionalism rests on a social relationship of confidence and trust between professional and client or public. Technical competence and ethical commitment form the basis of that confidence. The police, despite several important nonprofessional characteristics, nevertheless display sufficient correspondence to this image to warrant serious consideration for professionalization. Some costs involved in increased professionalism for police include (1) additional training to achieve higher technical and ethical standards, (2) the risk of producing officers concerned with theoretical and professional values rather than practical results, (3) the risk of reducing accountability, and (4) the risk of increasing gaps between police ranks and between the police and the public. Benefits, on the other hand, include improvement in performance standards and an orientation toward service to the public rather than obedience within a military-like bureaucracy. Chief obstacles impeding further professionalism in policing are the traditional image and strategy of the British Bobby as working class and being anti-intellectual, lack of a systematic body of police knowledge, economic factors affecting remuneration and recruiting standards, and the intrinsic nature of much essential police work. Eighteen notes are listed.