“Is It Like in <i>Thin Blue Line</i> ?”: A Case Study on Swedish Police Students’ Perceptions of Swedish Police Social Media Communication

This study aims to understand how police students perceive police social media communication in relation to their future roles as police officers. In today’s digital society, social media has become an essential communication tool for police authorities. These platforms enable them to engage with the public, share information about their activities, build trust, and promote public safety. This study is a small-scale case study, gathering empirical material from five semi-structured interviews and 15 written survey responses from police students. The findings of this small-scale case study demonstrate that while students acknowledge the importance of police presence on social media, they express concerns about the lack of formal training in this area. Many students feel unprepared to navigate the complexities of social media communication, particularly in relation to fostering public trust and safety. The article highlights the need to integrate social media communication skills into police training to ensure that future officers are equipped to effectively engage in digital spaces to foster public safety and security.