The Politics of Higher Police Education: An International Comparative Perspective

Abstract Several countries have introduced mandatory higher education for all police officers. However, we have scant empirical knowledge about the arguments and debates underlying these systems. This contribution unpacks the ‘politics of higher police education’ in Norway, Finland, and North Rhine-Westphalia. We discuss the circumstances and dominant actors’ views, expectations, and arguments involved in the introduction and evolution of higher police education, and how to understand similarities and differences between these three countries. We find that similar arguments recurred in each case: helping the police adapt to a changing society, making the police profession more attractive, preventing police education from lagging behind similar professions, and improving police–citizen relationships. Specific historical or political contexts and organizational arrangements also played important roles in the introduction and shaping of higher police education. The higher police education systems as such are seen as legitimate, but there are fierce ongoing debates on both substance and form.