Police Departments’ Recruitment Challenges

Topic: Law Enforcement
Words: 579 Pages: 2

Recruitment challenges exist in all spheres of work, and the approaches employers use depend significantly on the company’s specialization. The police department is not the exception, and it also experiences similar problems in recruitment. The organizations’ challenges are similar in various spheres due to the standard expectations people have from their job. For instance, the problems that human resources professionals face in the police are identical to those in the humanitarian sector. Inequality and injustice are two significant challenges that arise during recruitment in the police department, and it is critical to address them to optimize this process.

Vulnerable categories of people often become victims of inequality and injustice while searching for a new position. Women belong to the vulnerable social group, and there are spheres where they are treated with disrespect and prejudice. The police setting is one of the spheres where the number of females is comparatively low, and this professional environment is not typically friendly toward women (Williams, 2019). This situation is common in the law enforcement and military settings. At the same time, there is an evident lack of talented professionals in this sphere, and the number of females inclined to cope with law enforcement tasks is high (Williams, 2019). This recruitment problem is the consequence of gender inequality still dominant in the law enforcement sphere associated with masculinity. At the same time, the lack of opportunities for women to find a job in the police illustrates injustice because men are preferred not because of their competencies but due to their gender.

Corruption is a severe problem that affects the recruitment process in the police. Even though it is legally prohibited and punished severely by the law, there are cases when the company prefers to hire the person their friends or relatives recommend. This situation is not criminal, but it violates the rights of all other candidates for the job, which is an example of injustice and inequality (Shipley et al., 2019). It shows that not all people are equal when they apply for the same position, and the choice is determined by personal attitude, friendship, and other subjective motivations (Shipley et al., 2019). As a result, the organization cannot function adequately, some employees are not qualified enough to cope with their tasks, and the overall results of the performance decrease. Corruption has different forms, and it is a severe problem in recruitment that requires solutions (Sanborn, 2018). Otherwise, people lose the opportunity to create a community based on the principles of equality and justice that are essential in all spheres of human activity.

There is no need to say that injustice and inequality are severe problems in recruitment because they restrict the opportunities for many candidates. The talented people who are suitable for the jobs are not recruited due to the corrupt schemes that exist in the company, which leads to social degradation. In addition, they harm the organization’s work because it loses potentially talented workers due to their prejudged opinion, corruption, and general denial of equality and justice principles. Injustice at the workplace leads to the aggravation of societal injustice, which becomes a significant challenge that is not easy to overcome. The examples from the law enforcement and humanitarian sectors illustrate these claims vividly, showing that the recruitment problems mentioned above exist and harm the sphere. Both examples show that recruitment lacks policies to regulate these processes because, without legal protection, the vulnerable categories of society cannot find a job in these spheres.

References

Sanborn, J. (2018). The legal aspects of policing. West Academic Publishing.

Shipley, T., Jenkins, M., & Strand, A. (2019). Managing corruption challenges in humanitarian settings. Transparency International.

Williams, K. (2019). Increasing diversity in the military: Recruiting and retaining talented women. Center for a New American Security.