Police officer decision-making in stressful, ambiguous and potentially violent situations

For the majority of us, decisions that have a ripple effect impacting our colleagues, organisations, service consumers and the local community are not typically made on a daily basis. However, what is for many of us an occasional event can be the daily reality of police officers. One only need recall the fatal shooting of 15-year-old Tyler Cassidy (see Coroner’s Court of Victoria, 2011) to recognise the paramount consequences that may succeed police officer decision-making. Both researchers and practitioners have long recognised the need for decision-making theory to form the basis of police officer discretion (e.g., Worden & Brandl, 1990), particularly as demands on police officers grow on the count of technological advances and increasing accountability to the courts and the community. Despite this, the policing sector continues to receive little attention by means of generating an applicable and holistic theory of decision-making. Working within a constructivist grounded theory method, this thesis explored the processes that underlie police officer decision-making. Forty-four, one-on-one interviews were conducted with operational Victoria Police members. Concurrent collection of data, analysis and theoretical development resulted in the generation of a grounded theory that explains how officers functioned within a context of uncertainty. Results indicated the presence of multiple interactions between organisational sociology, situational ambiguity and individual characteristics in the production of a decision outcome. Working within and between these three concepts, an overarching grounded theory of police officer decisionmaking was developed. From this, a critical analysis of police leadership as the basis for a new articulation between the occupational, organisational, and social spheres in the pursuit of a more contemporary police structure is provided. POLICE OFFICER DECISION-MAKING 4 Acknowledgments The first words of this thesis were written with the pen of glory and triumph; the last with the rustic ink of humility and curiosity. I set out to meet the requirements of the course; what I gained was imponderable knowledge and meaning. I would like to thank Professor Stuart Thomas. You have taught me how to let go of the burden of perfectionism and to see the forest for the trees. Thank you to Professor Pamela Green for teaching me the most ethereal lesson of all; the world is only what I see of it – there is no fact, only interpretation. A thank you to Professor Michael Daffern for offering a helping hand and a patient ear. I would like to extend my sincere and overwhelming gratitude to the officers who participated in this study; without their stories the words on the pages of this thesis would not bear their momentous substance. Thank you to Acting Inspector Vin Butera, you were the gatekeeper that helped transform ideas into reality. A special thank you to my dear colleagues; Delene Brookstein, Marie Henshaw, and Svenja Senkans, you are three immensely inspirational women. Without you, I fear, I would not have learned the mammoth lesson of camaraderie. I would like to thank my mother and father. Life has not always been kind to you. Thank you for showing me the value of adversity, thank you for teaching me perseverance and instilling in me fortitude. Admir, thank you for being exactly, perfectly just the way that you are – you are my oldest and most loyal friend. Finally, I would like to thank my partner. Ammar, you have absorbed everything I have shared with you like a thirsty sponge! You have encouraged, condoled, cheered, and loved. I cannot wait to walk into ever more exciting adventures with you. POLICE OFFICER DECISION-MAKING 5