What role do police sergeants play in shaping the way frontline police constables understand and operationalise discretion?

Abstract: Police discretion has become a popular concept in policing literature despite its ambiguous and amorphous nature. Discretion is often rationalised as a necessary and inevitable part of everyday policing and distinctive occupational cultures are seen as the driving influence behind discretionary action or inaction. In contrast, the role of the police sergeant, and their influence over the discretionary actions of the police constables (PC's) they manage has received little attention. Existing research on this topic is limited and descriptive, although officers have been known to stress the importance of 'what sarge says'. Positioning discretion as an object for critical analysis, rather than an immutable component of policing, will offer a fresh perspective on the inner-workings of everyday policing. This research project consists of observational fieldwork with one small city police force in the UK. A critical empathy framework is used as a valuable approach to conducting police research from a feminist perspective.
New insights gained from observation-based analysis will create a better understanding of the influence sergeants have over how PC's operationalise discretion and will inform the development of role-specific training.