Advice, request and order in police operations: linguistic study of speech in maintaining public order

The doctoral thesis studies police speech and the linguistic format of its proposals for action – advice, request and order in particular. The source material includes police body-worn cameras and retrospect interviews of police officers.

The linguistic study combines empirical analysis with the voices of police officers performing surveillance and emergency operations. The aim is to investigate how proposals for action, referred to in the Police Act, are formed in the 2020s in duties to maintain public order and safety, and the other linguistic activities that are related to police work. The study will provide information for both the further development of police operations and education, and for the field of interaction research.

Project partners: University of Oulu and University of Tampere

Funding: University of Oulu EUR 11,900 August 2022 – December 2022. The University of Oulu Scholarship Foundation EUR 5,000 January 2023 – March 2023. Kone Foundation EUR 102,000 April 2023 – July 2026.

Contact persons at Police University College: Grant-funded Researcher Antti Kannisto and Researcher Samu Pehkonen. Email for both in the format [email protected].