Matthew Morgan is a Lecturer in Criminology and Criminal Justice in the Thomas More Law School at the Australian Catholic University. Matthew’s research interests include policing vulnerable and diverse populations with a focus on how police interact with people with mental illness. He has worked with police organisations in the UK and in Australia to inform best practice for police interactions with people suffering mental health crises in the community. Matthew’s work is critical and interdisciplinary and draws upon criminological theory as well as human rights law and principles to understand how marginalised individuals interact with the criminal justice system.
Presentation
“It’s not active talking, it’s active listening”: Police negotiator training for de-escalating crisis situations
A/Prof. Matthew Morgan 1, Associate Professor Clive Harfield, Inspector Peter Heck
1Australian Catholic University, Banyo, Australia
Police are significantly more likely to use coercive and lethal force with people suffering mental health or psychosocial crises across Australia and in other Western nations. Police use of force has been linked with reduced public trust in police, the psychological distress of police, and diminished staff retention in the police role. Police negotiators are specially trained to peacefully resolve dangerous incidents involving people suffering psychological crises such as people threatening suicide, barricaded individuals, and/or hostage situations. Despite their efficacy in de-escalating crisis situations, they are often unavailable to attend in regional and remote areas. Therefore, police negotiators provide specialist training for general duty police to equip them with communicative de-escalation tactics to peacefully manage such situations. This research utilises a mixed-methods approach to evaluate the quality of police negotiator training for frontline police. Using procedural justice and andragogy as lenses, this research assesses whether the training equips officers to respond more professionally and safely to crisis situations, thus potentially increasing job satisfaction, staff retention, and the overall safety of the community. Preliminary findings suggest that frontline police significantly value negotiator training when delivered using adult learning principles (andragogy), stating that they often lead to reduced use of force in practice and increased compliant behaviour.