Common Curricula - Police Ethics & Prevention of Corruption

The Common Curriculum on Police Ethics & Corruption aims to:

• Develop awareness of the role of police in a democratic society;
• Develop and improve knowledge about police ethics and the need for prevention of corruption;
• Demonstrate that everyone has a responsibility to act in an ethical manner;
• Strengthen the desire to behave in an ethical way and the ability to behave correctly under pressure or in stressful situations;
• Earn how to respond to non-ethical and corruptive behaviour;
• Develop awareness of risks in day-to-day police work;
• Ensure an ethical climate (managers);
• Incorporate ethical behaviour in day-to-day police work;
• Follow common European standards in policing;
• Strengthen and improve professionalism.

The Common Curriculum on Police Ethics & Corruption focuses on knowledge, attitudes and skills of police officers. It is divided four sections:

1. Role of police in a democratic society;
2. Position of ethics in the police organisation and day-to-day police work;
3. Managing police ethics and prevention of corruption;
4. Risk management in the field of police ethics and prevention of corruption.

There is a clear introduction to each topic, a description of the needed competencies to deal with the topic successfully and methodological suggestions.

The Common Curriculum is targeted at

• Senior police officers (basic training and further training);
• Middle-ranking police officers (basic training and further training);
• Police officers in special functions (e.g. traffic police, criminal investigation, border police);
• Instructors and trainers in police training institutions;
• Junior police officers.

An overview of common teaching targets, subjects and proposals for learning activities for all levels has been developed. Suggestions are made for specific actions for different target groups. The different Member States have to decide for themselves how to make use of these to suit to their national training systems and training programmes as well as the specific needs and previous experience of trainees.