Police use of force : beliefs and experiences of Belgian police officers

This dissertation examines police use of force, a topic that has been thoroughly discussed in literature but has hardly ever been studied in Belgium. The study has two main research aims: (1) obtaining insights into individual differences in the use of force by Belgian police officers; and (2) exploring and understanding how Belgian police officers experience and make sense of their authority to use force. In order to achieve both research aims, a multi-method approach is used, in which quantitative and qualitative methods are combined. The quantitative part of the study consists of two surveys: (1) a paper-and-pencil survey among 137 force specialists of the federal judicial police, and (2) a web survey among 197 frontline police officers in three local police forces. In the qualitative part semi-structured interviews were conducted with 39 frontline police officers