Common Sense and Police Practice: It Goes without Saying

Common sense in practice was a significant finding of a qualitative narrative research project investigating the professional practice and learning of police in an Australian police jurisdiction. Police officers in this research emphasised common sense as an intrinsic attribute of policing. Conceptions of policing as a craft or trade, learned on-the-job, and police officers as artisans, have dominated police training. In recent years, in response to global trends to professionalise policing, organisations in most Western nations have established partnerships with tertiary and higher education institutions to provide integrated programs of professional learning and practice for police. This paper draws on Bourdieu's practice theory to examine the narratives of traditionally trained police officers' perceptions of common sense. Police officers' narratives revealed three distinct perspectives that supported the unquestioning acceptance and application of common sense to their everyday practice.