Swedish police officers' perceptions of conflict management training in school and probationary training

Abstract

The aim of this study is to increase knowledge of how police officers define conflict and conflict management as well as how they perceive their training in conflict management, in relation to previous experiences, in-school training and their probationary training. Swedish police officers (n = 20) who had recently finished their probationary training were interviewed focusing on conflict and conflict management. The study shows that the respondents had general descriptions of conflict, which focused almost solely on interpersonal conflict. Further, the development of adaptive conflict behaviors during probationary training was largely dependent on their instructors, whose role and tasks are very complex. In addition, respondents reported an accelerated maturation process of sorts, in which they described themselves as less naïve and more cynical, despite their short time at work. The findings in this study might provide valuable insights into how police officers perceive conflict and conflict management.