Problems of reception of the concept of “soft skills” in contemporary scientific discourse on professional training of police officers

he relevance of the study was determined by the need for a scientifically verified theoretical and review analysis of the fragmented discourse on soft skills in the context of global transformations of police professionalism standards and the lack of agreed theoretical approaches in contemporary science. The article analysed the concept of soft skills, the stages of its development and contemporary approaches to its interpretation in the context of law enforcement, personnel management and career growth. The study was based on a theoretical and review approach and involved a systematic analysis, comparison and critical reflection on scientific publications devoted to the formation of soft skills as a component of the professionalism of future police officers. The results of the review analysis showed that in contemporary scientific discourse, soft skills are considered an integral part of the professional competence of law enforcement officers. Researchers emphasise key “soft” competencies, including communication skills, emotional intelligence, critical thinking, stress resistance, teamwork and interpersonal interaction. An analysis of scientific sources has revealed significant progress in the development of practice-oriented methods for developing soft skills, in particular through training, role-playing games, and modular educational programmes. At the same time, the review revealed some problematic aspects, in particular the insufficient systematic integration of soft skills into police training programmes, the limited number of long- term studies, and the lack of standardised assessment methods. The results obtained give reason to assert that the scientific discourse on soft skills is actively developing but requires a more systematic, conceptually consistent and empirically proven approach. The study has practical significance as a scientifically sound basis for the systematic development of soft skills in the professional training of future police officers