University of Hertfordshire

We introduce a new set of freely available video resources on the national police Code of Ethics that Constabularies can use to deepen understanding and promote reflection and discussion on ethical issues in policing. Drawing on academic research and findings from a survey into officers’ perceptions of the Code, we discuss the importance of virtues and character for policing, as well as cognitive bias. Yet given that police officers face pressures which most members of the public never have to face, we also ask whether policing has sometimes set itself unrealistic expectations, failing to consider human nature and frailty in categorising adverse events as ethical failures.