Joining Forces: Police Training, Socialization and Occupational Competence

The results themselves have centre stage in the book, which addresses questions basic to any working group: what kind of people join; whether they think the job changes them; their evaluation of the training and their officers; their thoughts on new policies such ass equal opportunities and community policing.

A direct connection is made between the recruits’ impressions and experiences and their growing conception of what makes for good policing. The book traces how their attitudes to the force and their own roles change as they become familiar with the work and the occupational culture. The formal and informal socialization process is a crucial influence on the standards of competence which lie behind every contact between police and public and is central to our understanding of how the police operate.

The author is a well-known researcher in the police world both here and in the USA. He relates his findings throughout to the North American experience, which provides valuable points of comparison. The important new material he presents informs debate and will still be of keen interest to students and researchers in the field.