A critical exploration of the role, value and culture of police learning in Scotland

Engelmann, Larissa

Abstract

Police Scotland pride themselves on being a ‘learning organisation’ (Police Scotland, 2020a), yet their ability and willingness to develop supportive and effective learning environments has been questioned (HMICS, 2020, 2021). The lack of consensus in the literature on police learning and an absence of Scottish research presents a challenge to identify what effective learning environments in policing look like. Accordingly, this study critically explores the role, value, and culture of police learning in Scotland. Between 2019 and 2021, 381 survey responses were collected, alongside thirty-three interviews with police officers, fifteen interviews with practitioners from allied professions and three focus groups with undergraduate university students on a policing degree.

This study makes two key contributions to knowledge. Firstly, findings highlight the need to nuance traditional theories of the learning organisation and workplace learning in the context of the police. This thesis suggests a stronger focus on organisational justice and the needs of individual learners would enhance current theories of police learning. Hence, a Police Scotland learning framework based on the findings of this study is proposed which expands and adds to existing knowledge and theory about police learning to promote, recognise, and implement learning across the organisation.

Secondly, this study emphasises the need for police services to deepen their understanding of learning culture. Participants suggest that significant cultural barriers to engage with and integrate different kinds of learning within the organisation remain. Contrastingly, practitioners from allied professions illustrate a much wider understanding of workplace learning and a more positive learning culture. This thesis therefore argues that, whilst theories of the learning organisation and workplace learning provide valuable frameworks for the police to develop learning structures, work needs to be done to address the current implementation gap between the aspirations of Police Scotland to be a ‘learning organisation’, the organisational learning culture, and officers’ lived experiences of learning.

Citation

Engelmann, L. A critical exploration of the role, value and culture of police learning in Scotland. (Thesis). Edinburgh Napier University

• Thesis Type: Thesis
• Deposit Date: Aug 21, 2023
• Publicly Available Date: Aug 21, 2023
• DOI: https://doi.org/10.17869/enu.2023.3175181
• Award Date: Jul 5, 2023