Purpose: This paper sought to bring together police science and sport-for-development (SFD) with a scoping review of the empirical literature on at-risk youth and police relationship-building in the context of sport interventions.

Design/methodology/approach: We conducted a scoping review with a Setting, Perspective, Intervention, Comparison and Evaluation (SPICE) model to systematically examine existing studies on the involvement of police in sports-based youth development programs. A total of 1,247 records were identified, and ten empirical research studies were included in the review.

Findings: The review identifies the critical role of stakeholders, especially coaches and community leaders, in facilitating police-youth contact. Coaches often serve as boundary-spanners, building trust between police officers and at-risk youth. Police involvement in these programs is multifaceted, with officers participating as teammates, leaders or mentors. This participation helps dismantle barriers and foster positive relationships but shows that different roles are associated with different benefits and risk factors. Relatedly, the review highlights potential risks such as the hyper-criminalization of youth, emphasizing the need for program designs that promote equality and collaboration.

Originality/value: This paper provides the first significant steps toward conceptualizing the role of police within sport interventions by integrating community policing and SFD literature. We advocate for interdisciplinary collaboration between police science and SFD scholars to further develop police-youth relationships.

This article examines the historical development of in-field training within Swedish police education from its centralization in 1967 to the present. By tracing key reforms, we analyze how the length, structure, and purpose ofin-field training have shifted over time. Compared to other Scandinavian countries, Sweden has the shortest periodof in-field training, raising concerns about its role in police education. Despite efforts to enhance supervisionand establish clearer learning objectives, in-field training remains marginalized, with no clear consensus on itsfunction. Drawing on the research field of practical knowledge, we investigate in-field training as a structuredlearning process essential for professional development. We argue that the historical uncertainty surroundingin-field training reflects a broader lack of recognition of in-field training as an integral part of police education,reinforcing a persistent divide between theoretical instruction and practical experience.

Den här texten handlar om ett högskolepedagogiskt samarbete som syftat till att skapa en ämnesintegrerad introduktion i akademiskt skrivande för polisstudenter vid Södertörns högskola. I texten beskrivs hur samarbetet har sett ut och vad som har fått introduktionen att leva kvar i programmet. Vi diskuterar utmaningar som uppstått och avslutar med några råd till den som vill genomföra liknande satsningar och samarbeten.