The skills required by police officers are becoming more multifarious in conjunction with ever-shifting societal environments and conditions. One such example is the increase of mental health consumer-police interactions and the subsequent media and social attention they receive. Therefore, it was necessary to examine the training municipal police recruits receive in British Columbia in the context of their interactions with mental health consumers in order to promote successful and positive resolution of such interactions.
This study examined, from the recruit perspective, how sufficient the Block 1 training they receive at the BCPA is in addressing the complexities of increased MHC-police interactions. Additionally, following JIBC’s mandate of applying experiential educational techniques, such as reflective journaling, the research evaluated whether the application of journaling could aid police recruits and staff in identifying potential learning issues and to see the evolution of cognitive learning recruits experience.
