Training Thai Police Cadets to Serve the Public via the Virtual Parents Training Program: A Study of the Royal Police Cadet Academy

Abstract

Literature on police training reveals the lack of field training that incorporates community policing, the prevalence of the paramilitary structure among police training programs, and the support for the use of the andragogy approach in police training. The current study fills this gap by examining the virtual parents training program offered at the Royal Police Cadet Academy (RPCA) at the end of the academic year when each second-year cadet spent 15 days with their virtual parents in a rural area. The cadets helped their virtual parents do household chores and participated in other activities in the community. The RPCA’s goals are to instill strong character and good morals in the cadets. Overall, 264 cadets who participated in the survey reported that they were very satisfied with the program and believed the program both enhanced police image and made them less egocentric and more altruistic.