An examination of police officers' opinions on in-service training activities

In our country, in-service training has become a valuable step in state institutions and private sector in general. Nevertheless, many studies have highlighted that there are structural problems related to the in-service training system. Therefore, it is seen that there is always a need for research that develops holistic solution ideas by addressing the problems that arise by considering the development throughout the world. A number of activities are organized at certain time intervals in order for people working in both state institutions and other institutions to improve themselves and be beneficial to the institution.In this respect, it has become obligatory for institutions and organizations to provide regular trainings on social, economic and technological developments in order to obtain efficiency from the personnel. This study is a study conducted to examine the opinions of police officers on in-service training activities.In the study group of the research, face-to-face interview technique was used with 35 police officers working within the Gaziantep Provincial Police Directorate on a voluntary basis. In the research, the interview method, which is one of the qualitative research methods, was used and the data obtained were analyzed by content analysis method.As a result of the research, it was found that the police officers regarded in-service training activities as an activity that contributes to their professional development and stated that they should be given importance. In addition, it was determined that the police officers who participated in the study experienced problems in in-service training activities due to the coincidence of in-service training activities with their days off, the intensity of working conditions, the sameness of the subjects and the lack of materials. The police officers who participated in the study stated that in-service training activities are useful in terms of adapting to change and development, keeping their knowledge about the profession up to date, increasing their motivation, closing their deficiencies, increasing their communication skills and coping with problems.While it was stated that the participants generally regarded in-service training activities as efficient and sufficient, they stated that in-service training activities should be given more in relation to the police profession and the unit they work in. The police officers who participated in the research concluded that the trainings related to in-service training activities should be given by experts, academicians, managers and supervisors.