A case example of teaching reflective policing to police students

Abstract

Reflection is an important component of professional practice in the field of policing. While reflection goes beyond a mere evaluation of officer behavior in police-citizen interaction based on legitimacy and functionality, deeper levels of reflections, where underlying assumptions are challenged do not automatically take place within the system of policing. In the current paper, we describe and reflect on a case example of teaching reflective practice to police students at a German University of Applied Sciences. We start by describing a structure of reflection on three levels, each of which is linked to different core questions. While on a low-threshold level reflection focuses on the question of correct action, reflection on a higher level revolves around uncovering one’s action-guiding assumptions that (in)consciously influence one’s actions, as well as the possibility of adopting other perspectives. Building on Brookfield’s work of critical reflective practice we designed a seminar series in a psychology course introducing the concept of reflective practice and four different lenses that aim at uncovering action-guiding assumptions of our learners. Our reflection shows that receptivity of the different lenses was different for perspectives from within the system of police to the perspective from outside the police.