The course and conditions of the process of selecting police officer candidates

Purpose: The aim of this article is to show the course of the process of selecting candidates for police officers, along with the indication of the conditions of this process and the possible reasons for the current difficulties in obtaining the desired number of candidates for service in the Police forces. The main research problem took the form of a question: How does the process of selecting candidates for service in the Police proceed and what are the conditions of selection – reasons for difficulties in obtaining candidates for officers meeting specific competence requirements? Design/methodology/approach: This article has been prepared on the basis of the analysis of legal acts regulating the process of selecting candidates for officers, data presented by the Central Statistical Office, the Independent Self-Governing Trade Union of Police Officers, information provided on the websites of the Central Police Headquarters, Voivodeship Departments and press articles published on regional and nationwide web portals. Findings:. The results of the conducted studies allowed to identify the process of recruiting candidates for service as well as the conditions of selection - reasons for difficulties in obtaining candidates for officers meeting specific competence requirements. The process of recruiting candidates for service, consisting of different stages of the recruitment process, has been constructed in such a way that it is possible to verify both the physical and mental predispositions of future officers. Such a procedure allows eliminating those candidates who have competence gaps regarding the established competency profile of the police officer. Originality/value: The results of the conducting studies allowed the author to identify the reasons for difficulties in obtaining candidates for officers.