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Social and Legal Studios

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Social and Legal Studios

Vol. 9, No. 1, 2026

Social and Legal Studios

ISSN 2617-4162

e-ISSN 2617-4170

Publisher: Lviv State University of Internal Affairs

Received 27.10.2025, Revised 30.01.2026, Accepted 25.03.2026 Published 01.04.2026
Pages 41-54
https://doi.org/10.32518/sals1.2026.41
Vol. 9, No. 1, 2026
Article

Value-based principles of professional training for police officers: Paradigm approach


Abstract

The relevance of the study is conditioned by the growing public demand for accountable, human-centred and law-oriented police activities, and the need to coordinate the national training model with international standards in the field of human rights and professional ethics. The purpose of the study was a systematic analysis and conceptualisation of approaches to understanding the value principles of professional training of police officers in contemporary scientific discourse and determining their socio-legal significance for Ukraine. To achieve this goal, a set of complementary methods was applied: a systematic review of scientific sources, thematic classification of research, logical deductive and conceptual analysis, and a comparative legal method. It was established that contemporary scientific discourse develops within the framework of three main approaches: normative, axiological and identification, and institutional and competence. The first considers values as principles consolidated in legal acts and codes of ethics; the second – as internal beliefs and a component of professional identity; the third – as integrated elements of educational standards and learning outcomes. However, there is no complete model that would combine these measurements into a single conceptual framework. A comparative analysis of international instruments and national legislation has shown the universality of the basic values of policing – legality, respect for human dignity, non-discrimination, accountability, and proportionality of the use of force. However, the level of their institutional integration into the training system differs significantly. The paper substantiated the expediency of considering the value bases of professional training as a multidimensional socio-legal structure that combines normative, identification, and institutional components. It was noted that the effectiveness of the development of professional culture of the police depends on the consistency of the legal consolidation of values with the mechanisms of their interiorisation and educational implementation. For the Ukrainian legal context, this means the need to strengthen the axiological component in educational standards for police training and to bridge the gap between the declarative proclamation of principles and the practice of their implementation


Keywords: value-based orientations; professional training of police officers; ethical standards; police leadership; evidence-based practice; Ukrainian law; organisational identity


Suggested citation

Shvets, D., Zhydetskyi , Yu., & Poliak, S. (2026). Value-based principles of professional training for police officers: Paradigm approach. Social and Legal Studios, 9(1), 41-54. https://doi.org/10.32518/sals1.2026.41
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