myAIPMEffective communication during major crises: a systematic literature review to identify best practices for police
Kelly A. Hine and Adelaide Bragias | Police Practice and Research
Abstract
"Police are the frontline response to major crises (such as natural disasters and terrorism). One key element to the successful outcome of major crises is the effective communication by police to their fellow officers, command, and other emergency personnel to contain and control the situation. Yet, there is no current academic research examining the effective communication of police during major crises. This study conducted a systematic literature review on the effective communication by emergency personnel during major crises to identify lessons learned from other disciplines in order to identify best practice strategies for preparing police for major crises. Of the 11,352 initially identified publications, 45 were assessed as relevant for ‘environment’ and ‘communication’ criteria which resulted in a final list of 15 publications. The findings highlight two important factors for effective communication in such situations; decentralized communication structures and shared mental models. However, while the importance of these two factors is understood, actually achieving these factors is difficult. These findings have implications for policy and procedures in identifying best practice for preparing officers for the effective communication during major crises.
Police are typically the first on the scene during major crises such as natural disasters and acts of terrorism and have the largest presence relative to other organizations (Bonkiewicz & Ruback, 2012; Brisner & King, 2016; Rojek & Smith, 2007), yet the role of police in responding to major crises is mostly overlooked. Major crises are unique, unpredictable, and typically unprecedented events (Brisner & King, 2016; Rojeck & Smith, 2007) in which officers are required to play multiple roles (for example, identifying and arresting any perpetrators, containing and controlling the situation, protecting lives, and tending to the wounded) (Rojeck & Smith, 2007). These roles require a diverse range of skills, sometimes all at once. Furthermore, the rarity and unique nature of major crises often require officers to conduct these multiple roles in circumstances that they may have never experienced before either during operational procedures or during training. The scale of major crises requires officers to work alongside other emergency personnel. Moreover, in order to do their job, and for the successful outcome of the crisis, police need to be able to communicate crucial factors about the unfolding events and the decisions taken not only with other officers, but also with other emergency responders. However, issues arise for the effective communication by police due to the unprecedented dynamic and rapidly unfolding environment of major crises, the complexity of the decision-making process, and the varying communication styles used.
This paper aims to identify effective communication strategies for police during major crises. First, the paper describes the types of major crises and the role officers play during these types of events. Next, the environment of major crises is explored in which officers and other emergency personnel need to operate. This then leads to an exploration of how officers make decisions during dynamic and rapidly unfolding environments. Finally, the problems of effective communication during these environments are highlighted. The following section then outlines the current study’s aims and research design before providing the methodology for the systematic literature review. Results are then presented, focusing on the key themes; environments, mental models, and communication styles. Finally, these results are discussed in terms of their application to effective communication between officers and other emergency personnel in major or crisis events. The paper then concludes with implications and recommendations to practitioners and future researchers about best practice to prepare officers for effective communication during major crises."
Read more
Effective communication during major crises: a systematic literature review to identify best practices for police, Kelly A. Hine and Adelaide Bragias, Police Practice and Research, 2020
Sign up for our weekly newsletter - helping to keep you abreast of research and findings within the policing and public safety community in Australia and around the world.