TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose The purpose of this study is to explore how Swedish police officers describe occupational knowledge. By learning more about how officers describe occupational knowledge, the study gives more insight about the types of information that they may be more likely to adopt in their occupational tasks.Design/methodology/approach In this study, the author conducted 27 semi-structured interviews with Swedish police officers. I asked officers several open-ended questions about their everyday work life and professional experience.Findings Swedish officers divide knowledge into two categories, which are theoretical knowledge and practical knowledge. Theoretical knowledge is learned in the academy and is described as “black and white,” meaning that it is considered static and not applicable to what happens out in patrol. Practical knowledge is learned in the field from colleagues.Research limitations/implications Police officers around the world have a wide range of requirements and training to become police officers. However, empirical studies have found that officers tend to use different types of information when performing policing tasks. Depending on how information is perceived and is taught, officers may respond differently to different types of knowledge, due to their evaluation of the validity of the knowledge.Originality/value The findings in this study support previous empirical studies on the area of policing and knowledge in two ways; first, this study argues that there is a categorization of knowledge among police officers. Second, this study suggests that officers view one occupational knowledge type as more theoretical and one as more practical.
VL  - 44
IS  - 3
SN  - 1363-951X
DO  - 10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2020-0139
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-08-2020-0139
AU  - Eliasson Michelle Nathalie
PY  - 2020
Y1  - 2020/01/01
TI  - “Black, white and gray”–A qualitative study of how Swedish police officers describe occupational knowledge
T2  - Policing: An International Journal
PB  - Emerald Publishing Limited
SP  - 498
EP  - 509
Y2  - 2024/04/18
ER  -