Analysis of the professional training of police officers, first recruited, in the North-West region

Seleznev Vladimir Igorevich ORCID: 0000-0001-9426-360X Independent Researcher 196606, Russia, St. Petersburg region, Pushkin, General Khazov str., 34, sq. А seleznevvl@mail.ru Other publications by this author

Introduction.

In modern conditions, a police officer who has been recruited for the first time and has completed vocational training (vocational training) must meet certain qualification requirements for professional knowledge and skills, as well as the level of his physical fitness. However, no less important is the compliance of a police officer with the requirements for the level of mental development, intelligence, emotional and volitional qualities of a person, compliance by an employee with a number of requirements, restrictions and prohibitions.

According to the results of vocational training (vocational training), effective follow-up requires any police officer to have a certain level of knowledge, skills, and abilities: the main provisions of legislative and regulatory legal acts regulating the activities of the police; to act in a complex, constantly changing operational environment, performing tasks at risk to life and in order to ensure the safety of others; the basics of the use of firearms, special means, physical force, first aid to victims or themselves, etc.

Also, in modern conditions, the presence of certain qualities and abilities is of crucial importance:

- to seek from citizens the cessation of illegal actions, if necessary, to use physical force, to act effectively in a difficult situation, to perform tasks of increased complexity in conditions of risk to their own lives and while ensuring the safety of others. 

- moral qualities and civic position of a police officer as a citizen and defender of life, health, rights and freedoms of citizens, interests of society and the state, a patriot of his Fatherland; responsibility and discipline, decency and exactingness, determination and initiative, communication and willingness to cooperate and interact;

- self-control and stress tolerance, including in conditions associated with risk to life;

- conviction, motivation and professional interest in the service, resistance to difficulties and hardships in official activity, striving for professional growth;

However, the listed qualities and abilities are not evaluated based on the results of vocational training (vocational training). Any parameters for evaluating these qualities and abilities in the training programs of police officers are not considered and are not justified.

The main part.

In the course of the conducted research, we analyzed the results of a survey of police officers who were recruited for the first time upon arrival at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and before the start of their professional training (vocational training).

The survey was conducted during an introductory conversation in 4 (four) training platoons (groups) – a total of 98 police officers (of whom 54 employees living and working in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region, and 44 employees in the Republic of Karelia) on the day of arrival at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia.

The survey of these employees was conducted by answering the proposed questions, which provided for their own assessment on a 5-point scale of their health and physical fitness for service, motivation for further training, socio-moral traits and business qualities of the individual. The results of the survey showed the following:

1) up to 78% of employees rated their health and physical fitness for further service quite highly;

2) about 83% of the respondents assessed the importance of their training for subsequent activities, however, the majority of employees indicated that this training (training) is more of a necessary condition for them or some kind of mandatory requirement for their further service;

3) 63% of the respondents replied that they have high consciousness and conscientiousness, honesty and self-control, which can contribute to the success of their activities. However, 18% of them explained that they would not be able to subordinate personal interests to official ones (in most cases, this applies to police officers aged 25-40 years who have families and minor children, including women who are divorced and raising children);

4) about 50% of the surveyed employees rated their business qualities in the performance of police duties as satisfactory, and the majority want to improve their educational and professional level. At the same time, approximately 18% of employees indicated that upon completion of training they do not plan their professional and career growth in the system of internal affairs bodies.

Of course, the presented results and information on the survey of police officers who were recruited for the first time cannot fully reflect the real picture of the professional selection of candidates for service in the internal affairs bodies and the state of affairs before professional training (professional training) of an employee.

Employees' self-esteem before starting training is usually overestimated and does not fully meet objective data, and is also based on the desire of an employee who first arrived at an educational organization to present himself in a more favorable light.

Therefore, the results of the survey of police officers can be taken into account by us in the study, only as information of a reference or informative nature, confirming the general state of the existing vocational training (professional training) of police officers who were first recruited.

The results of the entrance control of police officers who were recruited for the first time and arrived for professional training at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the period from 2017 to 2022 were also analyzed.

The entrance control of police officers was assessed by passing the standards for physical training and according to the results of testing for special training on knowledge of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation dated 07.02.2011 No. 3-FZ "On Police" and regulatory legal acts regulating the activities of employees.

The physical training of employees was assessed by passing standards for general physical training and combat techniques of wrestling, special training was a test task of a general professional orientation consisting of 50 questions. The results were evaluated on a 2-point scale ("satisfactory" and "unsatisfactory").

For the objectivity of the study, a representative sample was made by random selection of objects ^[4,6], the period from January 2017 to April 2022 was selected, when the entrance control of police officers arriving for vocational training (vocational training) at an educational organization was carried out.

The results of 283 police officers (229 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad region and 54 employees of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the Republic of Karelia) were subjected to the study. The generalized results are presented in Table No. 1.

Analyzing the results of the entrance control of police officers arriving for training and vocational training at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, we can objectively characterize the initial level of knowledge of the Federal Law of the Russian Federation "On Police" and regulatory legal acts regulating the activities of employees, their skills and the level of physical training of an employee as not high enough.

Thus, of the 229 police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in St. Petersburg and the Leningrad Region subjected to entrance control, 71 employees were rated "unsatisfactory" in physical training, 60 employees were rated "unsatisfactory" in special training.

Of the 54 police officers of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of the Russian Federation in the Republic of Karelia subjected to entrance control, 12 employees were rated "unsatisfactory" in physical training, 11 employees were rated "unsatisfactory" in special training.

 However, educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, in accordance with the schedule of recruitment of employees for professional training, are forced to accept police officers who have not passed entrance control (who have shown unsatisfactory results) for training (training).

 Information letters on the results of entrance control and persons who have not passed this entrance control are systematically sent to the personnel departments of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, sending employees for training (training), but this problem remains unresolved. At the moment, the entrance control, its tasks (including the assessment of the trainee's physical fitness) are being solved "as part of the assessment of the trainee's individual training at his place of service and in the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, where his professional training is planned."

Also in 2016-2018 and 2019-2022, police officers of various official categories who completed training (training) and did not participate in the experiment (about 100 people) were asked the question: "Do you think the level of your general professional component of training (training) within the framework of mastering the general professional section allows you to carry out official activities in any positions, in various departments, services, departments?"

The survey results showed that 27% of the surveyed employees explained that they are satisfied with their level of training, 15% believe that it is necessary to increase the volume of the professional component at the expense of the general professional, approximately 51% of respondents indicated that the volume and duration of the general professional cycle in existing programs is insufficient, especially in such disciplines as physical, psychological and special training. At the same time, about 7% of the interviewed police officers were not satisfied with either the level of education (training) or the need for it to be mandatory for police officers recruited for the first time in an educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia, and not at their place of work (service).

 Next, we examined and summarized the results of the qualification exams (final certifications) police officers, upon completion of the existing professional training in the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the period 2016-2018 and in 2019-2022, including certain elements of the general professional cycle (orientation).

 In total, the analysis covered the results of 789 employees (20 training groups-platoons of ordinary and junior commanding officers of the Department of Internal Affairs – 482 employees and 15 training groups -platoons of middle and senior commanding officers of the Department of Internal Affairs – 307 employees) who underwent professional training in 2016-2018. In addition, the results of 243 employees (7 training platoons of ordinary and junior commanding officers – 184 employees and 3 training platoons of middle and senior commanding officers – 59 employees) who underwent professional training (training) in 2019-2022 were also analyzed.

The generalized average score according to the results of qualification exams (final certifications), including certain elements of a general professional orientation, 789 police officers who received professional training at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 2016-2018 is 3.58 points.

 The generalized average score according to the results of qualification exams (final certifications), including certain elements of a general professional orientation, of 243 police officers who received professional training at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in 2019-2022 is 3.41 points.

Reliability of the results of qualification examinations (final attestations) upon completion of the existing training (training) in the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia in the period 2016-2018 and 2019-2022, including certain elements of a general professional orientation, it was confirmed by the use of methods of mathematical processing of results (methods of primary statistics) in the study^[1,2,3,5]: arithmetic mean, sample averages, error of representativeness of the sample average and coefficient of variation^[4,6].

The sample average qualification exams (final certifications) in 2016-2018 in platoon groups are presented in Table No. 2.

The sample average qualification exams (final certifications) in 2019-2022 in platoon groups are presented in Table No. 3.

The sample average shows us that the results of qualification exams (final certifications) are approximately the same in these platoon groups. We needed to find out: are the differences in the results significant in the selected platoon groups? For this purpose, we use the coefficient of variation as the ratio of the quadratic deviation to the arithmetic mean, expressed as a percentage. Previously, we calculated the error of representativeness of the sample average using the formula:

where X.... – average score from the tables;

X is the sample average; n is the sample size (number of platoon groups)

The results – errors in the representativeness of sample averages are presented in Tables No. 4 and No. 5.

Next, we calculated the coefficient of variation Cx using the formula: , where Sx is the error of representativeness of the sample average; X is the sample average. The results of calculations of the coefficient of variation are presented in Tables No. 6 and No. 7

 Considering that the coefficients of variation in 5 samples do not exceed the values of 3%, and in one 5%, we can say that the differences in the platoon groups of the results of qualification exams (final certifications) are insignificant, i.e. these results are justified and reliable.

Before the start of the study, a survey of the teaching staff of the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia was also carried out. The university teachers (20 people were interviewed) were asked the question: "How do you assess the level of the general professional component of the training of police officers of various categories?".

The survey showed that 13% of respondents explained that the general professional component of employee training, in their opinion, plays a secondary role in comparison with professional (job specialization). 27% of the respondents rated the level as satisfactory; 18% indicated the need to make changes to the training programs and increase academic hours for academic disciplines, subjects, courses.

At the same time, 42% of respondents rate this level as insufficient for the subsequent official activity of a police officer in various positions.

Thus, the analysis of the state of vocational training (vocational training) of police officers who were first recruited allows us to draw the following conclusions:

1. The results of surveys and questionnaires of police officers upon arrival at the educational organization of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia and before the start of their education (training) showed that about 83% of employees note the importance of their education (training) for subsequent professional activity, however, for them this is more a necessary condition or some kind of mandatory requirement for their further service. Also, a survey of police officers upon completion of their training showed that more than 50% of respondents consider the volume and duration of the general professional component of their training insufficient.

2. The analysis of the results of entrance control shows that educational organizations of the Ministry of Internal Affairs of Russia are forced to accept for training (professional training) police officers who were first recruited, employees who showed sufficiently low or unsatisfactory results and formally did not pass the so-called entrance control upon arrival at the organization or their place of service (without the participation of an educational organization).

3. The results of qualification examinations (final attestations) in the existing vocational training (vocational training) of employees of various job categories are also objectively not high enough, which does not fully meet the social order and the needs of society.

4. The results of surveys and the reliability of the results of qualification exams (final certifications) objectively tell us about the need to make changes to the programs of existing vocational training (professional training) of police officers who were first recruited.