Police personnel cultures : a comparative study of counter terrorist and criminal investigation units

Abstract

There seems to be no such thing as one single police culture. Depending on organization, structure, and task, culture in the police varies. In this research, counter terrorist police and criminal investigation police in Norway are compared. Although Norway has one police service, which is based on the principle of coherence, meaning that all functions are in one organization, significant cultural differences were found. The most significant difference in occupational culture was found on the scale from time firm vs. time floats. Police officers in the counter terrorist police find that time schedules, deadlines, and speed are important in their job. On the other hand, police officers in the criminal investigation police find sufficient time and not being run by the watch important in their job. The second most significant difference in occupational culture was found on the scale from legality vs. effectiveness. Police officers in the counter terrorist police find it more important to follow regulations and instructions than criminal investigators.