Professional experience and intercultural mediation competencies in law enforcement personnel working in multicultural border contexts

The growing cultural diversity in border regions requires law enforcement agencies to develop intercultural mediation skills that facilitate effective, respectful and socially legitimate interventions. The aim of this study was to analyse the intercultural mediation skills of law enforcement professionals working in Ceuta and Melilla, examining differences according to rank, professional experience in their current role and overall professional experience as members of the law enforcement agencies. A quantitative, descriptive, correlational and cross-sectional study was carried out with a sample of 580 professionals. The assessment was carried out using the Questionnaire on Intercultural Mediation amongst Public Sector Employees in the Security Forces (CMIEPFS), which had previously been validated amongst the Spanish population. The results showed significant differences in the ‘Training in mediation and intercultural diversity’ dimension, where professionals with between 11 and 20 years’ experience achieved the highest scores. Furthermore, officers with less experience (0–10 years) demonstrated higher levels of acceptance of intercultural environments. No significant differences were found based on hierarchical position, nor were there any linear correlations between accumulated experience and intercultural mediation skills. These findings suggest that the development of intercultural competence for mediation is a dynamic process in which specialised training and continuous learning play a more significant role than professional seniority. The results provide useful evidence for the design of training programmes and policies aimed at strengthening diversity management and the quality of police interventions in multicultural contexts.