Rechtsmedizinische Lehrtätigkeit an den Hochschulen mit Polizeistudiengängen in Deutschland

The teaching of forensic medical content to the police is often a traditional part of teaching activities provided by German forensic institutions. The curricular implementation of forensic topics is only reported in isolated cases.

Considering the increasing importance of modern university didactic aspects in all fields of study, the current situation of teaching forensic medicine at police universities was recorded for the first time in a nationwide study in Germany.

During the course of 2023 all 19 German police colleges expected to teach forensic medical aspects were surveyed on the formal and content-related aspects of their current teaching situation.

Forensic medical aspects were taught at 17 of the 19 colleges. In most cases, this teaching takes place via cooperation agreements or teaching assignments with forensic medicine institutions or even with their own forensic medicine professors. A heterogeneous spectrum is shown in the scope and design of the teaching, learning and examination formats used. For example, frontal teaching and fact-based examinations dominate.

The results of the study show that forensic medical topics are commonly taught at German police academies; however, the partial teaching of core topics by nonmedical lecturers must be critically questioned. As there is an increasing demand for the already extensive forensic medicine courses for other fields of study and professional groups, the training of additional technically and didactically well-trained forensic medicine lecturers is essential to solve this problem. This could also enable the further development of teaching, learning and examination methods in police training with a stronger focus on practically oriented formats.