Switching on, switching off: reflections of a practitioner researcher examining the operational behaviour of police officers

ABSTRACT

Evidence-based policing is rapidly becoming adopted by policing agencies among policing jurisdictions. Many academic programmes have been established in higher education to train police managers in applied criminology. However, there is a lack of literature for police officer practitioner researchers (POPR) who might undertake qualitative research, especially research projects that examine police behaviour. This paper reflects on the changing role of the practitioner-researcher and suggests that police officers undertaking qualitative research need to learn to ‘switch off their police role’ and ‘switch on their researcher role’. The author’s insights are drawn from his own experience of qualitative fieldwork working with police officers from New Zealand Police and South Australian Police.

KEYWORDS:

• Police
• Police research
• Practitioner research
• New Zealand Police
• South Australia Police

Disclosure statement

No potential conflict of interest was reported by the author.

Notes

1. This list is by no means exhaustive.

2. Public order policing may include crowd control, riot control or responses to widespread disorder – see Waddington and Wright (2011).

3. The constable’s oath, is as follows: ‘I, [name], swear that I will faithfully and diligently serve Her (or His) Majesty [specify the name of the reigning Sovereign], Queen (or King) of New Zealand, her (or his) heirs and successors, without favour or affection, malice or ill-will. While a constable I will, to the best of my power, keep the peace and prevent offences against the peace, and will, to the best of my skill and knowledge, perform all the duties of the office of constable according to law. So help me God.’ (Italics are my emphasis). New Zealand Policing Act 2008. s22(1).

4. Devolving authority is spelt out in the New Zealand Policing Act 2008. s30(3).

Additional information

Notes on contributors

Ross Hendy

Ross Hendy is a Sergeant with the New Zealand Police, currently assigned as Senior Practitioner Researcher in Research and Evaluation, Police National Headquarters, Wellington, New Zealand. His doctoral studies were completed in 2018 at the Institute of Criminology, University of Cambridge, UK.