Have you dreamed of joining the force for as long as you can remember? If you’re to enjoy a successful career as a police operative, it’s important to understand what will be expected of you and more importantly, what attributes you will need to display on a day-to-day basis. With the right traits in place, you will find it much easier to handle all of the challenges that come your way while you’re on duty. Once you overcome these hurdles, you will then have the capacity to truly optimize the law enforcement service that you provide.
Here are three essential skills needed to be a successful police officer:
1. Communication
Having the ability to communicate coherently with everybody that you meet will benefit you greatly in your law enforcement career. No matter who you find yourself talking to — whether it’s suspects, victims, or your fellow law enforcers — if you’re to optimize your performance as a police operative, it’s highly recommended that you adjust your communication strategy based on your audience. Some people will require you to converse in a matter-of-fact manner, whereas others will respond better to a softer and far more subtle approach. Among a great deal of many other benefits, having the ability to tweak your interpersonal communication skills will help you to convey critical information in a timely, efficient, and effective fashion. Ultimately, this will aid you in your bid to get straight to matter at hand each time a problem arises.
If your communication skills currently leave a lot to be desired, try improving this all-important attribute by putting the following advice into practice:
1. Actively listen to everything the other party says and respond accordingly
2. Take your time to respond, especially when discussing delicate subjects or talking about information that is considered private
3. Make sure you understand what the other party is saying/asking before responding (don’t be afraid to ask them to repeat themselves if you didn’t catch their drift the first time)
4. Be aware of body language signals (those produced by the other party and yourself)
5. Make communication one of core competencies by going above and beyond to converse with members of the public
6. Maintain eye contact in order to build credibility and demonstrate the fact that you are listening
7. Manage your emotions and aim to react in a calm, composed, and confident manner no matter what situation you find yourself in
8. Remain patient with people while they’re talking, especially when they are suffering with shock or PTSD
9. Practice critical thinking and aim to converse with people in a logical, analytical, and judicious fashion
10. Most importantly of all, always remember to respect your audience
2. Firmness
Make no mistake about it, you will be sure to encounter a whole host of disagreeable individuals when you become a police officer. There will always be people out there attempting to rile you up and get under your skin. In order to fend off these kinds of attacks and, in turn, retain a level head when dealing with difficult situations, it’s highly recommended that you remain strong, steadfast, and firm. By exuding firmness at every turn, you will showcase the fact that you are not somebody to be messed with. This will help you to cultivate an air of authority when dealing with suspects, it will boost your credibility amongst your coworkers, and it will ultimately aid you in your bid to climb higher up the law enforcement rankings.
Not a naturally assertive person? If so, fear not as this doesn’t necessarily need to curtail your career in the force. There are a number of things that you can do to become a lot firmer in both your personal and professional lives. For advice on how to cultivate this critical trait, be sure to check out this insightful article on the matter.
3. Empathy
As well as being strict and firm upon occasion, you will also need to get in touch with your caring side if you’re to become a successful police officer. Empathy is a key attribute for law enforcers, especially when witnesses are involved. Certain individuals won’t react well to you asserting your dominance over them, which in turn could result in them retreating into their shell and not providing you with the information you require. It is for this reason why you are advised to tone down your approach from time to time.
Being empathetic is particularly important if you choose to become a probation officer. Often you are having to build rapport with offenders with mental health problems. There is considerable emotional trauma in corrections and being exposed to someone else’s pain and suffering can leave you emotionally drained, so taking care of your own mental health as well as others is incredibly important. In this line of policing, you will be tasked with working alongside previous offenders in order to help them turn their lives around. This is a crucial role in the overarching law enforcement industry, as it helps previously sentenced individuals to break the cycle of criminality that they have, for whatever reason, found themselves embroiled in. Not only does this aid the individual to become a better version of themselves, but it also helps to create and maintain a safer society.
In order to become a probation officer, you will need to obtain a criminology degree. Through a combined focus on policing as well as criminology, this qualification will show prospective employers that you have garnered a broad, all-encompassing view of modern public safety. Crucially, it will also showcase the fact that you are dedicated to your work as a probation officer and, more importantly, that you actively wish to play a significant role within this niche law enforcement sector.
Policing is not a job for the faint hearted, that much is for certain. If you’re to carve out a successful career in this difficult yet rewarding law enforcement sector, it’s highly recommended that you cultivate the essential skills listed above. With the right attributes to fall back on, you will be much more likely to make the right calls, at the right times while on duty. Ultimately, this will aid you in your attempt to serve your community with distinction. If you think you have these skills and still want to push your career despite the difficulties, you may be interested in searching for police officer jobs.
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