RECPOL – Recruitment, Education and Careers in the Police – is an extensive research initiative focused on understanding police recruitment and the socialization processes that occur within police organizations and police education systems across Europe. The project examines how individuals enter the police profession, how they are shaped during their education, and how they transition into full professional practice. Designed as a long-term, comparative, and cross-national study, RECPOL was first launched in 2010 with the ambition of creating a comprehensive and systematic knowledge base about the formation of police officers in democratic societies.
In 2025, the second round of RECPOL began, bringing together several European countries, including Sweden, Iceland, Scotland, Estonia and Norway, to continue this longitudinal exploration. Although the participating countries are all democracies with civilian police services, their recruitment procedures, training structures, and educational philosophies differ significantly. These differences make it possible to explore broader questions about convergence and divergence in how European police forces are staffed and shaped. Understanding these variations is crucial for identifying common challenges, evaluating the effects of different educational models, and gaining insights into the kinds of individuals who choose policing as a career.
The overarching questions guiding the RECPOL study include:
- What characterizes individuals recruited into police work?
- How are police students shaped by their education and their socialization into the profession?
- How do different systems of police recruitment and education influence students’ and early-career officers’ perceptions of police work, as well as their attitudes, values, and professional choices?
The first round of the study included participants from Belgium, Catalonia, Denmark, Iceland, Norway, Scotland, and Sweden. Its results were published in the anthology Bjørgo, Tore & Damen, Marie-Louise (eds.) (2020). The Making of a Police Officer: Comparative Perspectives on Police Education and Recruitment. Milton Park, Abingdon, Oxon: Routledge. This volume has since become an important reference in the field, offering comparative insights into how police officers are shaped long before they enter active service.
