Effectiveness of School Police Officer Engagement in Bullying Prevention and Intervention in Belgrade Secondary Schools
Keywords:
bullying, school police officer, secondary schools, school security
Abstract
Engagement of school police officers (SPOs) within the Serbian education system is an important element of the school’s cooperation with the environment in bullying prevention and intervention. However, there is a lack of empirical data on the effectiveness of SPO engagement. For this reason, this paper presents the results of a research on the current state of SPO engagement and the perception of the effectiveness of SPO engagement in bullying prevention and intervention by students and members of the Team for protection, conducted in 19 Belgrade secondary schools in the school year 2020/2021. Data on the current state of engagement were collected through observation, while data on perceptions of effectiveness were collected through interviews with 44 members of the Team for protection and a survey of 1,526 students. In terms of bullying prevention, this research has shown that SPO engagement has the potential to be effective by achieving a deterrent effect, but only if SPOs are present at the time when the risk of bullying incidents is highest. In terms of bullying intervention, the results indicate that although SPOs are willing to intervene, their engagement is not effective as only a small number of victims ask them for protection in bullying cases and only in 30% of cases SPO managed to help. The implication of this research refers to the need to improve the interaction between students and SPOs, primarily by strengthening SPOʼs educational role and providing SPOs with adequate training to perform their duties in school.
References
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Javdani, S. (2019). Policing Education: An empirical review of the challenges and impact of the work of school police officers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63(3-4), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12306
Kupchik, A., & Farina, K. A. (2016). Imitating authority: Students’ perceptions of school punishment and security, and bullying victimization. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 14(2), 147–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014557648
Laith, R., & Vaillancourt, T. (2022). The temporal sequence of bullying victimization, academic achievement, and school attendance: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 64(3), Article 101722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2022.101722
Maeng, J.L., Cornell, D.G., & Huang, F. L. (2023). Teacher perceptions of school resource officers and associations with school safety. Journal of School Violence, 22(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2022.2146127
Martinez-Prather, K. E., McKenna, J. M., & Bowman, S. W. (2016). The impact of training on discipline outcomes in school-based policing. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 39(3), 478–490. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2016-0022
Maxson, C.L., Hennigan, K.M., & Sloane, D.C. (2005). Itʼs getting crazy out there‖: Can civil gang injunction change a community. Criminology & Public Policy, 4(3), 577–603.
Milojević, S., & Janković, B. (2022). Osnovi policijske taktike, treće izmenjeno i dopunjeno izdanje. Kriminalističko-policijski univerzitet, Beograd.
Milojević, S., Janković, B., Milojković, B., & Djukanović, S. (2017). Effectivness of the school police officer program. U B. Simeunović-Patić (Ur.). Dani Arčibalda Rajsa:tematski zbornik radova međunarodnog značaja:Međunarodni naučni skup, Beograd, 7-9. novembar 2017. (Vol. 2, 35–47). Kriminalističko-policijska akademija. https://jakov.kpu.edu.rs/handle/123456789/903
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Blackwell.
Owens, E. (2017). Testing the school-to-prison pipeline. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 36(1), 11–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21954
Pentek, C., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2018). School resource officers, safety and discipline: Perceptions and experiences across racial/ethnic groups in Minnesota secondary schools. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.008
Pravilnik o protokolu postupanja u ustanovi u odgovoru na nasilje, zlostavljanje i zanemarivanje [Protokol] (2019). Službeni glasnik RS, Br. 46/2019.
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Tanjug News Agency official [Tanjug]. (2023, May 5). Obraćanje predsednika Srbije. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP3N5VEXSHM
Theriot, M. T. (2016). The impact of school resource officer interaction on students’ feelings about school and school police. Crime & Delinquency, 62(4), 446–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128713503526
Theriot, M. T., & Cuellar, M. J. (2016). School resource officers and students’ rights. Contemporary Justice Review, 19(3), 363–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2016.1181978
Theriot, M. T., & Orme, J. G. (2014). School resource officers and students’ feelings of safety at school. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 14(2), 130–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014564472
Zhang, G. (2019). The effects of a school policing program on crime, discipline, and disorder: A quasi-experimental evaluation. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 44, 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-018-9440-z
Armitage, R. (2021). Bullying in children: Impact on child health. BMJ Paediatrics Open, 5(1), Article e000939. https://doi.org/10.1136/bmjpo-2020-000939
Bleakley, P., & Bleakley, C. (2018). School resource officers, ‘Zero Tolerance’ and the enforcement of compliance in the American education system. Interchange: A Quarterly Review of Education, 49(10), 247–261. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10780-018-9326-5
Broll, R., & Lafferty, R. (2018). Guardians of the Hallways? School resource officers and bullying. Safer Communities, 17(4), 202–212. https://doi.org/10.1108/SC-06-2018-0018
Canady, M., James, B., & Nease, J. (2012). To protect and educate: The school resource officer and the prevention of violence in schools. National Association of School Resource Officers. https://www. nasro.org/clientuploads/resources/NASRO-Protect-and-Educate.pdf
Chrusciel, M.M., Wolfe, S., Hansen, J.A., Rojek, J.J., & Kaminski, R. (2015). Law enforcement executive and principal perspectives on school safety measures. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 38, 24–39. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-11-2014-0115
Clark, S. (2011). The role of law enforcement in schools: the Virginia experience – a practitioner report. Directions for Youth Development, 129, 89–101. https://doi.org/10.1002/yd.389
Cornell, D. G., Mayer, M. J., & Sulkowski, M. L. (2021). History and future of school safety research. School Psychology Review, 50(2-3), 143–157. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966x.2020.1857212
Counts, J., Randall, K.N., Ryan, J.B., & Katsiyannis, A. (2018). School resource officers in public schools: A national review. Education and Treatment of Children, 41, 405–430. https://doi.org/10.1353/etc.2018.0023
Curran, F. C., Fisher, B. W., Viano, S., & Kupchik, A. (2019). Why and when do school resource officers engage in school discipline? The role of context in shaping disciplinary involvement. American Journal of Education, 126(1), 33–63. https://doi.org/10.1086/705499
Curran, F. C., Viano, S., Kupchik, A., & Fisher, B. W. (2021). Do interactions with school resource officers predict studentsʼ likelihood of being disciplined and feelings of safety? Mixed-methods evidence from two school districts. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(2), 200–232. https://doi.org/10.3102/0162373720985904
Devlin, D. N., & Gottfredson, D. C. (2018). The roles of police officers in schools: Effects on the recording and reporting of crime. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 16(2), 208–223. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204016680405
Devlin, D. N., Santos, M. R., & Gottfredson, D. C. (2018). An evaluation of police officers in schools as a bullying intervention. Evaluation and Program Planning, 71, 12–21. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.evalprogplan.2018.07.004
Fisher, B. W., & Devlin, D. N. (2020). School crime and the patterns of roles of school resource officers: Evidence from a national longitudinal study. Crime & Delinquency, 66(11), 1606–1629. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128719875702
Fisher, B.W., Curran, F.C., Viano, S., & Skinner, J. (2020). The influence of traditional police culture on the activities of school resource officers. Journal of Qualitative Criminal Justice & Criminology, 9(1), 1–28. https://doi.org/10.21428/88de04a1.eb9b5904
Fix, R.L., Aaron, J., & Greenberg, S. (2021). Experience is not enough: self-identified training needs of police working with adolescents. Policing: A Journal of Policy and Practice, 15(4), 2252–2268. https://doi.org/10.1093/police/paab039
Flannery, D., J., Fox, J. A., Wallace, L., Mulvey, E., & Modzeleski, W. (2021). Guns, school shooters, and school safety: What we know and directions for change. School Psychology Review, 50(2-3), 237–253. https://doi.org/10.1080/2372966X.2020.1846458
Gerlinger, J., & Wo, J. C. (2014). Preventing school bullying: Should schools prioritize an authoritative school discipline approach over security measures? Journal of School Violence, 15(2) 1–25. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2014.956321
Gottfredson, D. C., Crosse, S., Tang, Z., Bauer, E. L., Harmon, M. A., Hagen, C. A., & Greene, A. D. (2020). Effects of school resource officers on school crime and responses to school crime. Criminology & Public Policy, 19, 905–940. https://doi.org/10.1111/1745-9133.12512
Janković, B., Cvetković, V., Ivanović, Z., Ivanov, A., Jovanović, S., & Otašević, B. (2023). Sustainable development of trust and police presence in schools: Implications for school safety policy. Journal of Liberty and International Affairs, 9(3), 22–52. https://doi.org/10.47305/JLIA2393022j
Javdani, S. (2019). Policing Education: An empirical review of the challenges and impact of the work of school police officers. American Journal of Community Psychology, 63(3-4), 253–269. https://doi.org/10.1002/ajcp.12306
Kupchik, A., & Farina, K. A. (2016). Imitating authority: Students’ perceptions of school punishment and security, and bullying victimization. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 14(2), 147–163. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014557648
Laith, R., & Vaillancourt, T. (2022). The temporal sequence of bullying victimization, academic achievement, and school attendance: A review of the literature. Aggression and Violent Behavior, 64(3), Article 101722. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.avb.2022.101722
Maeng, J.L., Cornell, D.G., & Huang, F. L. (2023). Teacher perceptions of school resource officers and associations with school safety. Journal of School Violence, 22(1), 105–121. https://doi.org/10.1080/15388220.2022.2146127
Martinez-Prather, K. E., McKenna, J. M., & Bowman, S. W. (2016). The impact of training on discipline outcomes in school-based policing. Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies & Management, 39(3), 478–490. https://doi.org/10.1108/PIJPSM-02-2016-0022
Maxson, C.L., Hennigan, K.M., & Sloane, D.C. (2005). Itʼs getting crazy out there‖: Can civil gang injunction change a community. Criminology & Public Policy, 4(3), 577–603.
Milojević, S., & Janković, B. (2022). Osnovi policijske taktike, treće izmenjeno i dopunjeno izdanje. Kriminalističko-policijski univerzitet, Beograd.
Milojević, S., Janković, B., Milojković, B., & Djukanović, S. (2017). Effectivness of the school police officer program. U B. Simeunović-Patić (Ur.). Dani Arčibalda Rajsa:tematski zbornik radova međunarodnog značaja:Međunarodni naučni skup, Beograd, 7-9. novembar 2017. (Vol. 2, 35–47). Kriminalističko-policijska akademija. https://jakov.kpu.edu.rs/handle/123456789/903
Olweus, D. (1993). Bullying at school: What we know and what we can do. Blackwell.
Owens, E. (2017). Testing the school-to-prison pipeline. Journal of Policy Analysis and Management, 36(1), 11–37. https://doi.org/10.1002/pam.21954
Pentek, C., & Eisenberg, M. E. (2018). School resource officers, safety and discipline: Perceptions and experiences across racial/ethnic groups in Minnesota secondary schools. Children and Youth Services Review, 88, 141–148. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.childyouth.2018.03.008
Pravilnik o protokolu postupanja u ustanovi u odgovoru na nasilje, zlostavljanje i zanemarivanje [Protokol] (2019). Službeni glasnik RS, Br. 46/2019.
Sorensen, L. C., Shen, Y., & Bushway, S. D. (2021). Making schools safer and/or escalating disciplinary response: A study of police officers in North Carolina schools. Educational Evaluation and Policy Analysis, 43(3), 495–519. https://doi.org/10.3102/01623737211006409
Spasić, D., & Kekić, D. (2012). Bezbednost u školama i angažovanje školskih policajaca. U B. Kordić, A. Kovačević & B. Banović (Ur.), Reagovanje na bezbednosne rizike u obrazovno-vaspitnim ustanovama (181–196). Fakultet bezbednosti, Univerzitet u Beogradu.
Tanjug News Agency official [Tanjug]. (2023, May 5). Obraćanje predsednika Srbije. [Video]. YouTube. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eP3N5VEXSHM
Theriot, M. T. (2016). The impact of school resource officer interaction on students’ feelings about school and school police. Crime & Delinquency, 62(4), 446–469. https://doi.org/10.1177/0011128713503526
Theriot, M. T., & Cuellar, M. J. (2016). School resource officers and students’ rights. Contemporary Justice Review, 19(3), 363–379. https://doi.org/10.1080/10282580.2016.1181978
Theriot, M. T., & Orme, J. G. (2014). School resource officers and students’ feelings of safety at school. Youth Violence and Juvenile Justice, 14(2), 130–146. https://doi.org/10.1177/1541204014564472
Zhang, G. (2019). The effects of a school policing program on crime, discipline, and disorder: A quasi-experimental evaluation. American Journal of Criminal Justice, 44, 45–62. https://doi.org/10.1007/s12103-018-9440-z
