Hebborn, Victoria (2024) Dressing for Disorder: Examining the Effect of Enclothed Cognition and Uniform Type on Police Officers’ Self-Perception. Doctoral thesis, University of West London.

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Abstract

Public order policing in the United Kingdom is a specialist response to events of large
crowds, public safety concerns or the risk of disorder. The police officers assigned to
public order policing will often be wearing specialist protective uniform, which is likely
to be different to that worn in their ordinary, daily role. A range of research has been
conducted to examine how the public perceive police officers in different types of
uniform, however very little exists to consider how these officers perceive themselves
when wearing specialist, or ordinary uniform.
This study uniquely used the theoretical framework of enclothed cognition to examine
the way officers perceive themselves whilst wearing their ordinary, and alternatively
their public order uniform, and to compare this self-perception across the ordinary and
public order roles. Thematic analysis is used to analyse qualitative data from 20 semi
structured interviews with police officers in their ordinary, or public order roles. This
research fills a clear gap in the existing body of research by utilising authentic police
officer participants, on duty, and dressed in the uniform appropriate to their role.
This research makes two contributions. Firstly, it provides academic evidence in the
enclothed cognition field examining police officers’ self-perception with participants
who are authentic, operational police officers. This research found that enclothed
cognition does influence officers’ self-perception, but significantly, this is a result of the
meaning and experience associated with previously wearing it, and not the physical
presence of the uniform itself. Secondly this research contributes to professional
practice with the development of evidence-based policing and informing decision
making regarding public order dress codes. This research concludes by making
recommendations relevant to developing police public order training and commander
briefing tools.

Item Type:	Thesis (Doctoral)
Identifier:	10.36828/thesis/12732
Subjects:	Law and criminal justice > Criminal justice > Policing and criminal investigations
Depositing User:	Marc Forster
Date Deposited:	01 Oct 2024 12:35
Last Modified:	04 Nov 2024 11:15
URI:	https://repository.uwl.ac.uk/id/eprint/12732

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