Recruits' motivations for joining the police: A scoping review

Although interest in police recruitment has intensified, rigorous empirical work on why recruits choose policing remains scarce. This scoping review examines 22 peer-reviewed empirical studies published between 1973 and 2025, retrieved from Scopus and Web of Science databases, that examine the motivations expressed by entrants to police careers. It analyzes theoretical models, methods, contexts, concepts, and contributions to scholarship, classifying motivations according to Self-Determination Theory (SDT). It also highlights key studies, offers several practical recommendations to improve police recruitment processes, identifies gaps, and outlines directions for future research. Additionally, it discusses connections between SDT and levels of job satisfaction, professional commitment, career outlook and retention. The review contributes to advancing the debate on why individuals pursue policing careers and how their motivations may be shaped by professional practice, organizational culture, and early exposure to police culture.