Behaviour and leadership in law enforcement officers

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Topic: behaviour and leadership in law enforcement officers.

Is ethical behaviour and leadership a challenge to law enforcement officers or better known as the police? Ethical behaviour is the code of conduct that dictates good morals in an individual while leadership is the ability of one to influence the decisions of others and have them follow your ideas. The first and most prominent task of any law enforcer is to maintain order in the society and as well as ensure that people do not violate the law.

Law enforcement agency executives are accountable to their communities, their political leaders and their employees for stirring leadership and management (Anne, 2003). This poses as a great challenge for law enforcement officer since today’s demanding society requires leaders to sustain and meet these demands in order to be effective.

Success requires effective leadership skills that are required in management of police officers (Pfeifer, 2003). They must develop an efficient management system that will allow deliverance of quality services; also, they are required to select proper front line staffs to deliver quality policing services which require the top manager to have specific skills, training and education to do so. Ethical behaviour among the top officials is of great significance as subordinates look up to them and their behaviour reflects on that of their leader.

The ability to run an agency such that it is both internally and externally effective requires a leader to ensure that the employees and staff are competent and exercise good behaviour (Pfeifer, 2003). This sometimes is not easy for officers at the top since they are not able to monitor everyone in the department.

For employees to be motivated leaders need to create a fun and exciting place of work; leaders are required to maintain the culture of the police force so as to maintain great performance in their employees.

Law enforcement officers face challenges as their line of work requires commitment; with the many demands the occupation faces ethical behaviour and leadership of high quality needs to be maintained. This poses as a challenge to the officers.

Pfeifer, J., & Owens, K. (2003). Police Leadership and Ethics: Training and Policy Recommendations. Canadian Journal of Police and Security Services ,1(2), 0.

Anne Mills, (2003) “Ethical decision making and policing – the challenge for police leadership”, Journal of Financial Crime, Vol. 10 Iss: 4, pp.331 – 335