The research results presented in the article concern several aspects of the professional identity of police officers. The concept of professional identity includes such aspects as the mission, basic goals and values of a given organization and its organizational culture. The main objective was to identify the key elements of the identity of Polish police officers that contribute to the effectiveness of the organization. The article discusses the factors in the workplace that affect the formation of a police officer’s professional identity. The authors assumed that a mere reflection on the professional identity of a police officer is enough to extract those elements or features that testify to its specificity and distinctiveness in relation to other professions. The research began in January 2021 and was completed in July 2021. The (anonymous) survey covered 1,054 police officers. The research confirmed that the competence of Polish police officers acquired during their service shapes their personal, relational and professional identity and that their interpersonal relations are focused primarily on the tasks assigned rather than on building their professional identity. Factors such as specific working conditions in the police (stress, pressure, changes) affect the formation of police officers’ professional identity, both in individual and collective terms. The results are of supra-regional importance, as the indicated aspects concern most police services in Europe and in the world.
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