Sammendrag
A literature review suggests that height has
always been apart of the assessment of suitability
in police culture, and this may be linked to myths
about a tall person's better physical skills and
suitability for police work. In contrast to the
above-mentioned assumptions, this study shows
that short police students of both sexes generally
perform better in physical tests than tall police
students. Despite this, short women assess their
physical skills as poorer than do tall women. This
discrepancy is discussed, and several factors seem
to explain this phenomenon. Police culture seems
to link being tall with physical ability. The value
placed on height can be explained by the fact that
tall men represent and symbolise the police best.
A contributing explanation to the discrepancy
could be that height creates a natural physical
authority among tall police officers, which short
female officers are missing. Another explanation
of the discrepancy may be that height and long
arms can be beneficial in situations in which the
police have to use physical force. However, it is
argued that the police rarely use physical force.
and that several other factors seem to reduce the
importance of height in this area.
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