A participatory action research training initiative to improve police effectiveness

Police work is becoming extremely complex, challenging, demanding, and ill-structured, which calls for better problem-solving and decision-making skills from police workers. Participatory action research approach is applied to understand how training methodologies can contribute to creative thinking, exploration of alternatives and democratization, consequently enhancing the problem-solving and decision-making skills of field-level police workers. A series of five sessions with two groups of police workers provided substantial insights that informed the research methodology, the learning experience of participants and the relative value of various training delivery modes for improving problem-solving and decision-making skills. The methodology gave opportunities to the researcher and the participants to reflect on processes and learn from the feedback. The study reveals that the training must seek to give voice to the learners and help them to discover an agency through which they can critically reflect on the needs of their job and fulfil them. This study reflects on the question of rigour and relevance in PAR and provides directions for future research.