ABSTRACT

Professional distance is concerned with a subset of the things that can compromise professional relationships, viz., a subset relating to personal relationships that exist in addition to professional relationships. In the policing context, there are many areas in which professional distance issues can occur. These include between police and victims, between police of different ranks, and between police trainers and police recruits. The chapter focuses on various issues surrounding the management of professional distance, including what sorts of restrictions managers can justifiably impose on their staff. Professional distance is derived from the nature of the professional role itself. In a typical professional—client relationship, the responsibility for ensuring professional distance falls on the professional. The obligation to ensure professional distance means that there is good reason to rule out or limit the sorts of things that constitute or lead to breaches of professional distance.