September 06, 2012
Police officers interact with all members of the public, from rich to poor with high paying jobs to no jobs. Some people have mental health issues. Some are old and some are young. Some people were born and raised in Edmonton and some have just moved from other countries. Some people are angry when they talk to police, some are sad, some are in shock, and some are indifferent.
One of the greatest challenges is being able to communicate with the diverse citizens in unique situations. Recruits receive a variety of training on communication, but this was the only strategic communication class.
It was taught by an officer who has worked the majority of his career on the street, including neighbourhood foot patrol (NFP). The NFP, or Beats, role is all about communication, walking around the designated communities and getting to know the people within them. He’s a great resource and instructor for strategic communication.
We worked in groups discussing various scenarios on how we’d approach people under certain circumstances. We discussed benefits of communication between the police and the public. And we worked out ways to improve communication or salvage it from going awry.
It’s easy to assume that you might think you have good communication skills but once you are on the job, you will find yourselves in situations with all types of citizens that may challenge that assumption. In policing we like to say that no two days are ever the same, but it is also safe to say that no two conversations are ever the same.
This class was another important lesson on the basics of policing.
Questions
If you have any questions at all, feel free to email me at recruitblog@edmontonpolice.ca. I’ll answer your questions the best I can