Development of a valid psychological scale for youth police selection among young unemployed and excluded persons: The nemesis scale

BACKGROUND: Youth, unemployment and poverty confirm a set of situations that are often inseparable. An example of this is the case of young people from the Andean coca areas. OBJECTIVE: To develop and validate a psychological test that can be used as a predictor of adequate police performance for use in police force recruitment. METHODS: The study comprised a sample of 713 young people, who were selected to join a pre-police training program designed to allow them to subsequently join the Peruvian police force. A new 200-item instrument, called Nemesis, was created. Derogatis’ SCL-90 test was administered to determine the validity of the new instrument. The suitability of the items for the future questionnaire was determined through factor analysis, which reduced the questionnaire to 14 items. Logistic regression was used to determine whether the items on the scale could predict possible admittance into the police training academy. RESULTS: A statistical regression analysis showed that the global percentage of correct predictions exceeded chance by almost 15%. Based on this analysis, the scale was determined to be valid. CONCLUSIONS: The proposed objective of verifying the psychometric properties of the Nemesis scale was fulfilled, as the scale has adequate reliability and validity.

The Physical Fitness Effects of a Week-Long Specialist Tactical Police Selection Course

Specialist police tactical teams, like special operations military personnel, are tasked with dangerous, high risk missions which are beyond the scope of general police. Consequently, the selection courses for entry into these teams are physiologically and psychologically demanding. The purpose of this study was to examine the physiological effects of a five-day selection course to aid in candidate preparation and course planning. Measures included body mass, grip strength, sit-and-reach flexibility, and a vertical jump assessment. Eleven candidates finished the selection course with significant decreases in body mass (−2.05 kg, p = 0.006 (95% CI = 3.65–0.45)), grip strength in the right (−14.48 kg, p < 0.001 (95% CI = 21.32–7.64)) and left (−14.27 kg, p < 0.001 (95% CI = 21.89–6.66)) hands and in sit-and-reach flexibility (−6.64 cm, p < 0.001 (95% CI = 9.94–3.33)). No significant decreases in power output or peak jump velocity of 669.77 W (95% CI = 1942.92–603.39) and 0.28 m/s (95% CI = 0.69–0.14) were found and a non-significant, overall increase in vertical jump height of 6.09 cm (95% CI = −6.08 to 18.79) was seen. Decreases in body mass, grip strength and lower limb flexibility are evident in a grueling five-day selection course. Individuals planning on attending these courses should plan for these negative effects and build redundancy into their performance to minimize the effects of fatigue, decrease injury risk and maximize chances of completion.

POLICE SELECTION: TERRITORIAL AND MATERIAL AND FINANCIAL ASPECT

The relevance of the article is that one of the most important vectors for improving the system of personnel procedures in the National Police of Ukraine, including selection for police positions, should be a sufficient level of their financial and logistical support. As the procedures for selection for police positions are carried out by the relevant units of the National Police of Ukraine (the list and legal status of which were defined in previous units of our work), their material and financial support should be considered as a component of the National Police of Ukraine. The article considers the peculiarities of professional selection for the position of a police officer in Ukraine. Emphasis is placed on the application of material, financial and territorial aspects of selection for the position of a police officer. Based on the analysis of police selection at the current stage of formation of Ukrainian statehood, new approaches in the field of improving the mechanisms and procedures for selection for the position of police officer in Ukraine are proposed. It is concluded that the successful implementation of the main activities of the National Police of Ukraine is possible only in the presence of appropriate organizational, legal and financial conditions. To this end, public administration bodies should promote the further transformation of the modern model of financial and logistical support of the National Police of Ukraine, which takes place in the context of general processes of reformatting the current model into a mixed (budgetary and extrabudgetary) variety. technical and financial support of police bodies with representatives of other law enforcement agencies and local self-government bodies, to implement further improvement of the current legislation on logistical and financial support of police bodies.

Youthful Discretion: Police Selection Bias in Access to Pre-Charge Diversion Programs in Canada

The increase use of formal youth diversion programs in Canada coincided with the enactment of the Youth Criminal Justice Act in 2003. Following the tenets of the labeling theory, the statute sought a balance that would help limit formal court intervention to increase fairness and accountability for youth committing minor offenses. Despite the perceived benefits, diversion programs have not escaped criticism. Some researchers contend pre-charge diversion programs that are based on police discretion may suffer from selection bias. Using police data from a local police service ( N = 6,479 cases) in Ontario, Canada, this article conducts a bivariate analysis to explore the personal characteristics of first-time offending youth (gender, race, and area of residence) and attempts to determine whether there are any differences in the youth being charged or diverted for minor drug possession and minor thefts. Results demonstrate variances in charging practices based on race. Race has a small but statistically significant impact on arrest decisions. In general, Black youth are more likely to be charged and less likely to be cautioned than White youth and youth from other racial backgrounds. The implications of these findings are discussed.

Do Barrier Test Results Predict Survival in Specialist Police Tactical Selection Courses?

Entry to specialist police tactical teams is governed by performance on a physically intense and psychologically demanding selection course. The aim of this study was to determine the attributes associated with completion of a specialist police selection course. Data pertaining to 18 candidates was obtained including 1 min push-ups, loaded pull-ups, loaded 30 m crawl, agility run, 1.2 km run and multi-stage fitness assessment. Comparisons from those who did and did not complete the selection week were performed and a hierarchical multiple regression performed. Eleven candidates finished, with significant difference found in those who completed the course in push-ups (+9.1 reps), loaded pull-ups (+2.9 reps), 1.2 km run (−16 s), loaded crawl (−6.3 s), agility (−0.67 s) and VO2max (+4.8 mL/kg/min). In combination, the fitness assessments pull-ups, 30 m loaded crawl and agility time were found to predict 70% of the variability in course completion (adjusted R2 = 0.70, F (3,14) = 14.373, p = 0.001). When assessed independently, push-ups, 1.2 km run and VO2max results only predicted a non-significant 0.02%, 0.29% and 0.12%, respectively, of course completion. Completion was influenced by aerobic fitness, upper limb strength and endurance and agility. These variables appear to be predictive of course success.

Police selection – implications during training and early career

Purpose – The cost of selecting and training new police officers is high. However, previous research has provided limited guidance on how to select the best applicants. The purpose of this paper is to enhance the understanding of the possibilities to select suitable applicants by using combinations of four common categories of selection methods, namely cognitive tests, personality inventories, physical tests, and rater-based methods (i.e. interviews). Design/methodology/approach – Using a sample of Swedish police recruits (n=750) the authors performed hierarchical multiple regression analyses, predicting four criteria – performance, satisfaction, retention, and health – at three consecutive time points (after two years of academy training, after six months of field training, and after the first work year). Findings – No group of selection methods consistently predicted all four criteria at the three time points. In most analyses more than one class of selection methods were statistically significant, but the findings did not support the use of rater-based methods. Practical implications – Instead of the common praxis of using interviews, the findings suggest an alternative praxis. This involves using the remaining information from cognitive tests, personality inventories, and general fitness tests that had been used in earlier hurdles to screen out unsuitable applicants. Originality/value – The study extends previous research by including several follow-ups, showing the value of combining different selection methods, and using alternative criteria of successful police recruitment (i.e. satisfaction, retention, and health).