1. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Relationship Between Social Work and
Police as a Topic in Social Work Education
Sabine Etl
FH St. Pölten
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2. A trip down memory lane …
First cooperation between police officers and social workers at the
beginning of the 20th century in the USA
Target group: children, youths and women
Female social welfare workers supported the police and were ancestors of female
criminal police
When Alice Stebbins Wells was hired by the Los Angeles Police Department in 1910, she became a media
sensation. Newspapers of the era clamored to interview and photograph the social worker.
Wells quickly became known as "Policewoman Number One" because of the interviews and also from the
badge she was issued. Initially, Wells was given a patrolman's badge. A police officer had free trolley car
privileges in 1910, but when Wells tried boarding, the conductor accused her of misusing her husband's
identity. The LAPD remedied the situation by issuing Wells "Policewoman's Badge Number One."
Wells toured the nation starting in 1915, promoting the hiring of women police officers. She also founded
the International Association of Policewomen. In 1934, she was appointed the historian of the Los Angeles
Police Department. By the time she had retired in 1940, Wells had been a policewoman for 30 years.
Wells died in August, 1957. Ten policewomen in full dress uniform served as Honor Guard. She is buried
in Forest Lawn Memorial Park in Los Angeles.
Source: http://www.sameshield.com/history/sshistory16.html
Alice Stebbins Wells
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3. Common Aspects (1/2)
On higher socio-political level
Both are organsisations for enforcement of social and political norms, e.g.
democracy or protection of minority rights
Both are instances for „social control“
Both are dealing with „social problems“
On lower socio-political level
Both are highly influenced by the political situation
Both are therefor susceptible for fulfilling political issues
Working Conditions
Both are influenced by competing interests of social, individual and political manner
often combined with low inadequate payment
Difficult working conditions with regard to shift work, e.g. rotating shift schedule and
night work
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4. Common Aspects (2/2)
Overlap of fields of work and target groups
Similar target groups: people from vulnerable social groups and in
marginal social contexts, people with psycho-social problems, e.g.
delinquents, addicts, homeless, victims of violence
Often working besides each other or after one another
Increasing overlap due to enforcement of preventive concepts especially
in the field of youth work
Confrontation with violence and impacts of violence
Danger of burnout
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5. Separating Aspects (1/2)
Dealing with problems from different points of view
Different work orders
Social work: social interventions, advocating, Empowerment, reducing discrimination
and disadvantage
Police: maintainance of order, security; danger prevention; law enforcement
Different methods
Social work : holistic view; discretion; freedom to choose; partiality
Police : principle of the mandatory prosecution of offenses; detecting problems,
without being able to work on
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6. Separating Aspects (2/2)
Methods
Social Work: longlasting; work on relationship
Police: problems have to be solved quickly, very broad range of situations
Cultural aspects
communication (reflexion)
Mental hygiene
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7. Fields of overlap (1/2)
Police
High amount of police activities regards problems of disorder and not crime
therefore police work often gets engaged in crisis intervention and social counselling
because there is a lack of social institutions
Lack of 24/7 availability of social institutions
Enforcement of preventive measures
Change of image from repressive to helping
Social Work
Enforcement of preventive measures (mobile youth work, street work, diversion)
Common understanding: prevention is not a one man show
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8. Fields of overlap (2/2)
Example - Contact in the area of youth work
On the side of Social Work: street work, mobile youth work with juveniles in public
space, work with homeless, work with delinquents, work with drug addicts, work with
politically motivated youth scenes, work with male and female youth prostitutes, work
with run-aways, work with football fans…
On the side of Police Work: law enforcement and danger prevention (e.g. finding
suspects, identity verification, questioning of witnesses, arresting), youth crime
prevention programmes at schools (prevention police officer / youth cop)
But: Police has to act according to the principle of mandatory prosecution of
offenses, which may not fit with prevention work principles?
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9. Conflicts and Tensions (1/2)
Social Work complaints
Disrespectful attitude towards them – put on the same level as their clients
Rude conversation with clients
Feeling powerless towards police behaviour
Exclusion of clients from a place – influences social work dramatically
Police complaints
Lack of willingness for cooperation
Complicity with clients
General communication problems
Speaking a different language
Limited hours of business in social institutions (no 24/7 availability)
Nobody there if needed
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10. Conflicts and Tensions (2/2)
Avoidance of contact
Sometimes due to ambivalences regarding the own professional role
Prejudices
Social workers are just the same as their clients
Social workers have no clue and don‘t care about the law
Police officers are racists
Police officers think they all are super-sheriffs
Minor knowledge about other profession
Professional concepts
Professional way of thinking and working
Resulting in false impressions
on the other profession
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11. What is needed
To initiate meetings between social work and police students
To develop competence for dialogue
Know-how transfer in a professional environment
Objectives
Defining the tasks of social work and police work
Knowing about the specific options of both professions
No further blurring of borders
Developing cooperations on the basis of transparent responsibilities
Defining police work and social work as opponents is no constructive
approach and should not be prolonged
In both professions there are aspects of discipline and „social working“
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12. Reasons for implementing the topic in social work education
To build a basement for successful cooperation in the field of practise
Awareness raising und knowhow transfer
Developing a more differentiated view about each other
Motivation for starting an interprofessional dialogue
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13. How it was done
Lectures since 2000 in St. Pölten and Vienna
Getting to know the police from the inside
Joining police officers in their all-day work
Knowhow transfer from experts (police lawyers, officers from different
departements)
Workshops with police students
Research lectures in the field of police and social work
Planing and realising a jointly developed training on handling dangerous
situations at work
Joint seminars for police officers and social workers
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15. The Beginning: Even a cartoon is drawn
Famous Police Cartoonist
Michael Hendrich exclusively
draws for the lecture
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16. Research Projects are launched
Research Workshop „The good, the
bad and the ugly“ at FH Studiengang
Sozialarbeit, Vienna
Research Workshop „Go West –
Fußballfankulturen in Wien“ at FH
Studiengang Sozialarbeit, Vienna
Research Workshop „Schnittstellen
zwischen Sozialarbeit und Polizei“ at
FH St. Pölten
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17. Workshop at FH Campus Wien (2006/2007)
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18. Workshop at FH Campus Wien (2006/2007)
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19. Workshop at Ybbs an der Donau (2007)
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20. Social work and police students meet in Ybbs
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37. Wrap-Up … but no pub, this time
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38. Lecture „Handling Dangerous Situations at Work“
Joint concept from police officers (WEGA) and social work (S. Etl)
Objectives
To develop awareness for dangerous situations
To develop strategies for deescalation
To become competent in getting professional help
foto
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39. The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
The Relationship Between Social Work and
Police as a Topic in Social Work Education
Sabine Etl
FH St. Pölten
lbetl@fhstp.ac.at
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