.
Professional Ethics for Police Officers
Study Course Description
Course Description Statuss:Approved
Course Description Version:9.00
Study Course Accepted:02.02.2024 12:30:08
| Study Course Information | |||||||||
| Course Code: | JF_287 | LQF level: | Level 6 | ||||||
| Credit Points: | 1.00 | ECTS: | 1.50 | ||||||
| Branch of Science: | Law; Police Rights | Target Audience: | Person and Property Defence | ||||||
| Study Course Supervisor | |||||||||
| Course Supervisor: | Olafs Brūvers | ||||||||
| Study Course Implementer | |||||||||
| Structural Unit: | Faculty of Social Sciences | ||||||||
| The Head of Structural Unit: | |||||||||
| Contacts: | Dzirciema street 16, Rīga, szf rsu[pnkts]lv | ||||||||
| Study Course Planning | |||||||||
| Full-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 6 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 12 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 2 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 4 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 16 | ||||||||
| Part-Time - Semester No.1 | |||||||||
| Lectures (count) | 2 | Lecture Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Lectures | 4 | ||||
| Classes (count) | 1 | Class Length (academic hours) | 2 | Total Contact Hours of Classes | 2 | ||||
| Total Contact Hours | 6 | ||||||||
| Study course description | |||||||||
| Preliminary Knowledge: | General Ethics. | ||||||||
| Objective: | The aim of the course is to provide the information of the specifics of ethics, its basic concepts, categories, directions and challenges, linking to the professional ethics in law enforcement, particularly in police. Objectives to reach the goal: 1) to raise awareness of the foundations of diversity of moral beliefs and the creation of different ethical judgments; 2) practical use of different moral perspectives in the analysis of life situations (dilemmas) and to encourage students to reflect on their moral and ethical beliefs; 3) to develop an in-depth understanding of the professional ethics of police work and behaviour and make a practical use of acquired knowledge. | ||||||||
| Topic Layout (Full-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction to ethics. The historical development of ethics and its main representatives. Basic ethics concepts and its various directions. Ethics and morality. Morality, Rights and Normatives. Power structures and Human Rights. The ethics of personality and society. The most important aspects of the professional ethics of law enforcement officers. Observance of ethical values, principles and rules in the professional work of police. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | The ethics of personality and society. Code of ethics of state officials, its creation, application and meaning. The professional ethics and behaviour of a police officer. Detention and investigative activities of the person. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Professional ethics in communication and relationships. Oral and verbal communications. Potential communication problems and barriers, overcoming them and solutions. Stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination. Meaning and usefulness of communication. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Corruption and conflict of interest. Aspects of the prevention of corruption and conflict of interest. Ethical dilemmas in police work, problems and solutions. Working with rude customers. The role of the leader's professional ethics in police work. Raising the indictment against police officers and defense aspects. Human rights of police officers. | Lectures | 2.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||||
| 5 | Ensuring the self-esteem and rights of police officers. The most important aspects of the acquisition of authority and its undermining. Public confidence in the police. Police tasks in strengthening public order and security. The importance and development of cooperation between police and society. | Lectures | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| Topic Layout (Part-Time) | |||||||||
| No. | Topic | Type of Implementation | Number | Venue | |||||
| 1 | Introduction to ethics. The historical development of ethics and its main representatives. Basic ethics concepts and its various directions. Ethics and morality. Morality, Rights and Normatives. Power structures and Human Rights. The ethics of personality and society. The most important aspects of the professional ethics of law enforcement officers. Observance of ethical values, principles and rules in the professional work of police. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 2 | The ethics of personality and society. Code of ethics of state officials, its creation, application and meaning. The professional ethics and behaviour of a police officer. Detention and investigative activities of the person. | Classes | 1.00 | auditorium | |||||
| 3 | Professional ethics in communication and relationships. Oral and verbal communications. Potential communication problems and barriers, overcoming them and solutions. Stereotypes, prejudices and discrimination. Meaning and usefulness of communication. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| 4 | Corruption and conflict of interest. Aspects of the prevention of corruption and conflict of interest. Ethical dilemmas in police work, problems and solutions. Working with rude customers. The role of the leader's professional ethics in police work. Raising the indictment against police officers and defense aspects. Human rights of police officers. | Lectures | 0.50 | ||||||
| 5 | Ensuring the self-esteem and rights of police officers. The most important aspects of the acquisition of authority and its undermining. Public confidence in the police. Police tasks in strengthening public order and security. The importance and development of cooperation between police and society. | Lectures | 0.50 | auditorium | |||||
| Assessment | |||||||||
| Unaided Work: | In the course of the study, students must prepare a written practical work on one of the issues of professional ethics (aspects) with the free topic choices. In particular, a description of the student's own experience on a problem or situation, its analysis and assessment of the ethical principles will be particularly appreciated. Working volume of the article should be from 4-6 pp. For the successful acquisition of the subject outside the class attendance students are obliged to self-structure their studying, analyzing their level of knowledge and improve it; select and evaluate both the sources of literature already identified in the course description as well as actively work on the necessary information and material collection in libraries and Internet resources. | ||||||||
| Assessment Criteria: | Regular attendance of lectures and practical sessions; active participation in practical sessions; successfully performed practical written work and completed final test – written examination. The final test of the course is a written examination where three questions will have to be answered. The evaluation criteria is done in the 10-point grading system. Practical written work – 40%; final exam – 60%. | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Full-Time): | Exam (Written) | ||||||||
| Final Examination (Part-Time): | Test | ||||||||
| Learning Outcomes | |||||||||
| Knowledge: | Students deepen and improve their knowledge in the ethics and behavior of the police officer's in their professional activities, with a view to apply the acquired knowledge in practice. | ||||||||
| Skills: | Students will be able to apply gained knowledge and special terminology and to carry out practical tasks related to the ethics of the police officers within the framework of their competence; will be able to act in accordance with the basic principles and features of the professional ethics of the police officer; to manage and conduct analysis and data of various situations; to provide constructive solutions in cases of different ethical challenges and dilemmas. | ||||||||
| Competencies: | Students will be competent and able to describe, analyse and resolve various practical problems in the police work, which are linked to the fundamental principles of professional ethics; will be able to carry out their daily responsibilities in relations to people and a society as a whole with their problems and requests; students will be competent to apply theoretical knowledge to the practical work; their competence will contribute to the observance and promotion of professional ethics in the environment of their workplace (institutions). | ||||||||
| Bibliography | |||||||||
| No. | Reference | ||||||||
| Required Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | LR Iekšlietu ministrijas Ētikas kodekss | ||||||||
| 2 | Valsts policijas darbinieka profesionālās ētikas un uzvedības kodekss 2014 | ||||||||
| 3 | Ēriks Treļs, Ērika Krutova POLICIJAS TIESĪBAS SHĒMĀS UN TABULĀS, Valsts Policijas koledža, Rīga, 2016. | ||||||||
| 4 | Policijas darbinieka pienākumi un tiesības | ||||||||
| 5 | Bērna ekskluzīvās tiesības – nebūt vienam saskarsmē ar policijas darbinieku! | ||||||||
| 6 | Ethics in Law Enforcement and Policing | ||||||||
| 7 | Ethics, Discretion & Professionalism in Policing | ||||||||
| 8 | Ethics of police officers | ||||||||
| 9 | Professional Ethics and Standards, Policy Manual | ||||||||
| Additional Reading | |||||||||
| 1 | „Ētika valsts amatpersonu darbībā”. Rīga: Valsts Administrācijas skola, KNAB, 2008. | ||||||||
| 2 | Kalniņš V., Austere L. Interešu konflikta novēršana. Vadlīnijas policijas amatpersonām. Rīga: KNAB, 2008. | ||||||||
| 3 | Oldersans D. Cilvēktiesības un policija. Rīga: LPA, 2004. | ||||||||
| 4 | Council of Europe, Committee of Ministers. International Standard: The European Code of Police Ethics. DCAF 2011. | ||||||||
| 5 | Professionalism and Ethics | ||||||||
| 6 | LR Likums PAR POLICIJU, 28.05.2016. | ||||||||
| 7 | LR Augstākās Tiesas Darba grupas ziņojums Par ētikas normu pārkāpumiem tiesnešu rīcībā, 30.11.2007. | ||||||||
