Communication skills for policing

There are two significant communication tasks for police officers: providing information, such as issuing instructions or giving evidence in court, and receiving or seeking information, such as interviewing witnesses and suspects (Ainsworth, 2002). The manner in which a police officer carries out these communication tasks strongly affects the judgments and feelings of those with whom the officer is communicating and can have a major impact on the outcome of any situation (Gudjonsson, 2003). The ability to communicate effectively therefore lies at the heart of much police work, and the modern police officer requires a toolbox of communication strategies that can be adapted to meet the myriad situations they confront (Ainsworth, 2002). This chapter, in considering the research literature on human communication, will explore the nature of effective communication skills and suggest best practice in policing.