Police culture : the social organisation of policing in Malta

Abstract

This dissertation analyses the presence of police culture in Malta. Numerous cultures within a police force subsist and the culture of one police force differs from another (Chan, 1997). This study primarily uses the Rapid Intervention Unit within the Malta Police Force as a background model for the scope of this research. A qualitative approach of in-depth interviews with personnel from the Rapid Intervention Unit is the research method that was chosen for this study. This method gave the study fundamental information that was not found neither in books nor in literature. The conclusions drawn from this research show that the element of ‘determination’ is almost a solitary central factor behind the occupational culture of police officers, notwithstanding two elements, danger and authority. The principal characteristics of the Maltese police culture are strongly linked to police officers’ authority to that of ‘men in command’. An intuition into how Maltese police officers analyse society and their responsibility within it, ease the grasp of their working methods. Cultural change is not foisted; it is an internal product of the police force, activated by the very police officers who are continually altering police culture (Chan, 1997). The findings of this research could facilitate the means for better decisions taken by the top management in the interest of Maltese police officers, improved police training and enhancement in Maltese policing in general.