The Police Organizations Education, Knowledge and Experiences of Mental Illness: A Qualitative Interview Study

This study illustrates the experiences and knowledge on mental illness within the police organization. The main queries are how the police education prepare the police for encounters with mentally ill individuals, what police officers experience and what is done within the department in relation to strengthen knowledge and competence on mental illness. Nine interviews were conducted with police students, police officers and a business developer and the findings are that the overall perception of the police programme is that it provides future police officers with a basic understanding about mental illness. However, experienced police officers feel that they need more knowledge about mental illness to feel more secure and comfortable in these meetings. Furthermore, the police department works with the governmental assignation by preparing study material for different groups to strengthen their knowledge and competence on mental illness. The aim is to provide the police with knowledge about legal frames, recognition of mental states/disorders, how to respond to mentally ill individuals and what agencies are available to assist in the community. The limitation of the study was the relatively small sample considering that data was collected from different parts of the organization. However, this study has demonstrated an overview of the whole organization and their work connected to mental illness. The conclusion of this study is that the police department in Sweden has realized the knowledge gap and developed an educational plan to resolve the missing puzzle pieces