The influence of social class on investigative decision making by policing students

31st October 2025Olivia Fowler, Professional Policing Graduate, Edge Hill University

Findings of a study that focused on policing students’ decision-making suggest that while participants generally apply the National Decision Model impartially, subtle biases are evident in their reasoning processes; analysis also reveals that despite training efforts to reduce bias, socio-economic biases persist, influencing perceptions of suspects and victims – although not always resulting in overtly biased decisions – as study author and Professional Policing graduate Olivia Fowler explains.

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The influence of social class on investigative decision making by policing students

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