Flexible education reform and Iceland’s police staffing crisis

In 2018, Iceland had Europe’s second-fewest police officers per capita and had experienced the continent’s biggest reduction in officers since 2009—after suffering the biggest financial crisis in modern economic history. Fewer officers, a growing, more diverse population, and a tourist boom fuelled a police staffing crisis peaking in the mid-2010s. In this case study, we document, using secondary data and interrupted time-series analysis, how moving basic police education to the university level in 2016 and shifting from face-to-face to flexible learning—a form of blended learning—helped Iceland accommodate more students, reverse the downward trend of police staffing, improve female representation, and raise the education level. Moreover, public trust in the police remained high after reform. The case of Iceland demonstrates that blended learning can facilitate police–university partnerships, accommodate more students by expanding access, capacity, and capability, help address staffing challenges, and optimize resources.