Seventy-eight per cent of Canadian police officers are willing to work harder at establishing better relationships with their communities, according to a study conducted by Carleton professors and Canadian police.
Carleton professors Stephen Maguire and Lorraine Dyke and the Canadian Association of Chiefs and Police (CACP) worked together to conduct the first-of-its-kind survey, which began in 2009. It was conducted with the aim of finding the driving forces behind professionalism in the police force, according to Carleton’s website.
Maguire and Dyke revealed the findings of their three-year study Feb. 15 in a report called “The Professionalism in Policing.”
The survey found that almost 60 per cent of respondents felt their supervisors were supportive — a result that was unexpected considering almost 50 per cent indicated they were dissatisfied with the ethical leadership of their senior management team.
“I was surprised that police agencies did very well on the measure of supportive supervision by sergeants,” Maguire said. “My interviews with sergeants indicated these ‘softer skills’ were not part of their curriculum.”
The survey also concluded that close to 80 per cent of police officers are willing to put in a large amount of effort to ensure the success of their agency, yet 34 per cent expressed concerns about whether their organization cared about their well-being.
Maguire said the survey, which consisted of a literature review, interviews, and had over 10,000 respondents in 31 Canadian police agencies, was designed to be very expansive and cover a large amount of information.
“The reason we undertook this project [is because] we wanted to look at what policies, practices, and training methodologies best maintained and enhanced these professionalisms in Canada,” said Norm Lipinski, the CACP ethics committee chair.
With financial support from the Sheldon Chumir Foundation for Leadership Ethics, Maguire and Dyke designed the survey.
Dyke was responsible for data analysis and interpretation, Maguire said via email.
Maguire made 52 recommendations based on the survey results.
These included spending more time communicating about the agency’s programs and expectations, demonstrating support for employees’ well-being and development, as well as consulting and clarifying the basis on which decisions are made, according to the CACP website.
The survey validated the need for improvement in front-line supervision, and a few agencies have already adopted some recommendations, Lipinski said.
“Each agency is responsible for deciding for themselves what is appropriate for their size and circumstances,” Maguire said.
Lipinski said Canadian police departments don’t have to implement the recommendations.
“It depends on the agency so it’s their respective responsibility,” he said.
