ABSTRACT
This chapter recaps and discusses the main findings of the RECPOL project, addressing the two initial research questions: 1) Do different systems of police education attract different types of police students? The overall results show that police students are strikingly similar across different types of police education. Students in academic institutions are at least as interested in street patrolling as students in vocational training institutions. Gender and recruitment policies matters more in relation to career preferences than education models. Gender distribution does not co-vary with education model. 2) Do different police education systems shape the police students’ values, attitudes and career plans in different ways through the training and education process? The answer is yes, but impacts go in different directions and do not necessarily covariate with education types. The national context seems to play a more important role than the type of police education system. Further research should make use of RECPOL Phase 3 data on how experiences from three years of practice influence the attitudes and outlooks of new police officers. Furthermore, research on the making of police officers should focus more on recruitment policies and efforts, as well as on questions of continuing education.
