The research profile’s point of departure is the use of scholarly methodology to build up and collect research that focuses on the police officer as an individual and on the police profession.

What challenges do individual police officers face in contemporary policing? What issues do police professionals consider are most important to investigate? What knowledge is needed among police organisations and practising police officers??

The research profile also includes research that challenges or problematises the current focus on knowledge development, education and organisation.

How does the current police organisation address the needs of professional police officers? How are the health-related pressures faced by police professionals dealt with? To what extent are today’s police officers and police training equipped for contemporary society?

The profile currently encompasses a number of areas of enquiry, such as the format of police education, police students’ health, police legitimacy and community policing.

If you are interested in participating in any of these areas or in an area of research relevant to policing or the policing profession, please email jonna.lappalainen@sh.se.

The overall aim of the research profile is to investigate and describe how professional knowledge are built up and developed by different social actors.

The events of recent years – with challenges such as a pandemic, deteriorating international security, digital threats, societal vulnerability, economic instability and new forms of criminality – bring society’s ability to provide security for its citizens into focus. Professions and their cooperation capacity for a safer society are tested every day. Few societal actors can successfully deal with complex problems and tasks on their own. Interdependencies between organisations, institutions and professional groups are inevitable and require different forms of collaboration. Skilful intervention and management of complex events requires education and training, as well as organisation and infrastructure that consider and utilise professional knowledge and experience.

Examples of issues that are examined within the research profile are:

• What factors influence effective cross-organisational collaboration and what challenges result from an increased need for collaboration?
• What needs for organisational and knowledge development are created by collaboration within and between organisations?
• How are organisational knowledge and resilience created, to help deal with new threats that aim to cause societal disruption?
• How are organisations and their employees affected by threats and risks related to the cyber environment?
• How is are experiences managed and knowledge transferred during collaboration within and between different organisations and groups?

There are several areas currently being explored within the profile: collaboration and the building of total defence; professions and the use of force; the veteran as a skilled societal resource; tactical intervention officers’ practical knowledge.

For more information on activities in this research profile, please contact Lotta Victor Tillberg: lotta.tillberg@sh.se