ABSTRACT

Police are the frontline response to major crises (such as natural disasters and terrorism). One key element to the successful outcome of major crises is the effective communication by police to their fellow officers, command, and other emergency personnel to contain and control the situation. Yet, there is no current academic research examining the effective communication of police during major crises. This study conducted a systematic literature review on the effective communication by emergency personnel during major crises to identify lessons learned from other disciplines in order to identify best practice strategies for preparing police for major crises. Of the 11,352 initially identified publications, 45 were assessed as relevant for ‘environment’ and ‘communication’ criteria which resulted in a final list of 15 publications. The findings highlight two important factors for effective communication in such situations; decentralized communication structures and shared mental models. However, while the importance of these two factors is understood, actually achieving these factors is difficult. These findings have implications for policy and procedures in identifying best practice for preparing officers for the effective communication during major crises.

摘要

警察是应对重大危机（如自然灾害和恐怖主义）的第一线。成功解决重大危机的一个关键因素是警察与其同事、指挥部和其他应急人员进行有效沟通，以遏制和控制局势。然而，目前还没有学术研究来检验重大危机期间警察的有效沟通。本研究对应急人员在重大危机期间的有效沟通进行了系统的文献回顾，以确定从其他学科中吸取的经验教训，从而确定为警察应对重大危机做好准备的最佳实践策略。在最初确定的 11,352 份出版物中，有 45 份被评估为与“环境”和“传播”标准相关，最终得出了 15 份出版物的清单。研究结果强调了在这种情况下进行有效沟通的两个重要因素；分散的沟通结构和共享的心智模型。然而，虽然理解这两个因素的重要性，但实际实现这些因素是困难的。这些发现对确定最佳做法的政策和程序有影响，以便为官员在重大危机期间进行有效沟通做好准备。