Police psychology, also referred to as "police and public safety psychology," was formally recognized in 2013 by the American Psychological Association as a specialty in professional psychology.[1] The goal of police psychology is to ensure law enforcement is able to perform their jobs safely, effectively, ethically, and lawfully.[2]
Police and public safety psychologists have specialty knowledge about the nature of police work. This specialized knowledge consists of police working environments, the goals of the agencies, stressors and trauma that public safety personnel experience, their responses to these stressors, and the interventions used to treat symptoms of PTSD. Additionally, police psychologists are aware of confidentiality and testimonial privilege when serving this community. These psychologists then apply the science and profession of psychology in four primary domains of practice: assessment (primarily preemployment assessments of prospective candidates and fitness-for-duty evaluations of incumbent personnel), clinical intervention, operational support, and organizational consultation. Police and public safety psychology intervention strategies primarily include short-term cognitive behavioral treatments and approaches. Training also includes review of research regarding the relative efficacy as well as the limitations of post-crisis interventions unique to law enforcement personnel (e.g., post-shooting incidents, line-of-duty deaths, deep undercover stress reactions). In addition, various modalities of treatment and programs are typically integrated within the training (e.g. peer support teams, EMDR, suicide intervention training, wellness coaching). Preparation for practice in operational psychology includes review of research in: crisis intervention, hostage negotiation, criminal profiling, psychological autopsy, and epidemiological factors affecting outcomes of various tactical situations.[2]
There are several police and law enforcement agencies in the world today that employ police and public safety psychologists and these are:
, Singapore, at the Home Team Academy.[4]
Investigative psychology has gained its own following.[9] This field was started in 1990 by Professor David Canter whilst at the University of Surrey, in the South of England (Canter and Youngs, (2009). It brings together issues relating to investigative information, the drawing of inferences and the ways in which law enforcement decision-making can be supported through scientific research. Investigative psychology grew directly out of empirical research. This field covers the full range of investigation related activities such as:
This sphere has been much abused worldwide with the spread of the use of originally Eastern methods, including gradual copying of the type of methods once associated to some areas of Asia, what characterizes the latter is the contacting of the suspect via mental means, "thinking to" techniques known already in Eastern Europe followed by repetition of the alleged offence continually mentally to make it start repeating itself in the mind and even begin to affect speech.Thus these type of investigations and any based on them, being most legally conducted in their areas of origin, are highly dubious.