TY  - JOUR
AB  - Purpose– The purpose of this paper is to clarify the diversity of professional perspectives on police culture in an international context. Design/methodology/approach– In a first step the authors developed a standardized instrument of 45 occupational features for comparative analysis of police professional views. This set was inductively created from 3,441 descriptors of the police profession from a highly diverse sample of 166 police officers across eight European countries. Using this standardized instrument, Q-methodological interviews with another 100 police officers in six European countries were conducted. Findings– The authors identified five perspectives on the police profession suggesting disparities in officers’ outlooks and understanding of their occupation. Yet, the findings also outline considerable overlaps in specific features considered important or unimportant across perspectives. Research limitations/implications– The study emphasizes that police culture needs to be described beyond the logic of distinct dimensions in well-established typologies. Considering specific features of the police profession determines which aspects police officers agree on across organizational and national contexts and which aspects are unique. Practical implications– The feature-based approach provides concrete pointers for the planning and implementation of (inter)national and inter-organizational collaborations as well as organizational change. Originality/value– This study suggests an alternative approach to investigate police culture. It further offers a new perspective on police culture that transcends context-specific boundaries.
VL  - 37
IS  - 4
SN  - 1363-951X
DO  - 10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2013-0112
UR  - https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2013-0112
AU  - Saskia Bayerl P.
AU  - E. Horton Kate
AU  - Jacobs Gabriele
AU  - Rogiest Sofie
AU  - Reguli Zdenko
AU  - Gruschinske Mario
AU  - Costanzo Pietro
AU  - Stojanovski Trpe
AU  - Vonas Gabriel
AU  - Gascó Mila
AU  - Elliott Karen
PY  - 2014
Y1  - 2014/01/01
TI  - Perspectives on the police profession: an international investigation
T2  - Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management
PB  - Emerald Group Publishing Limited
SP  - 728
EP  - 745
Y2  - 2024/04/25
ER  -