Police officers’ perceptions of the challenges involved in Internet Child Exploitation investigation

Abstract

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to explore police officers’ perceptions of the challenges and work stressors of working in Internet Child Exploitation (ICE) investigation. Design/methodology/approach – Participants were a heterogeneous sample of 32 ICE investigators across nine Australian jurisdictions. Officers’ perceptions of ICE work were elicited via individual, open-ended, anonymous, telephone interviews, which focused on both the nature and impact of work-related stressors and challenges. Findings – Thematic analysis revealed that viewing ICE material was not perceived to be a major stressor or particularly traumatic facet of ICE investigation. Rather, the challenges related to three areas; work relationships, workload and resources and the physical environment. Participants also suggested some improvements to their work environment which could reduce the impact of these challenges. Practical implications – The stressors identified by ICE investigators in this study place physical, psychological and social restrictions on investigative capacity. Modifications to the workplace environment that facilitate more effective professional collaboration, reduce workload and enhance investigator efficiency and functionality of the physical work environment would likely reduce the potential for harm associated with ICE investigation and improve ICE investigators’ capacity to perform their role. Originality/value – This is the first study to use a broad research framework to examine the full range of stressors that ICE investigators face (both organisational and operational). The findings are important for developing comprehensive theories regarding workplace traumatisation as well as holistic intervention models to assist the prevention and management of stress related to ICE investigation.

Examination of the Subjective Well‐Being of Australian Internet Child Exploitation Investigators

“…Finally, community connection (assuming the validity of responsibility as basis for psychological connection to community) and satisfaction with achieving in life could be nurtured by allowing ICE investigators to work autonomously and acknowl-edging the success of ICE investigations within the ICE investigation unit, within the law enforcement community and within the broader community. This practice is supported by research connecting workplace autonomy and work success to increased work-based life satisfaction (Drobnič, Beham, & Präg, 2010;Erdogan, Bauer, Truxillo, & Mansfield, 2012) and improved coping in ICE investigators (Burns et al, 2008;Krause, 2009;Powell et al, 2014aPowell et al, , 2014bWolak & Mitchell, 2009). In contrast, investigators have reported lenient sentencing and low conviction rates of ICE offenders to be sources of strain (Powell et al, 2014a(Powell et al, , 2014b.…”

“…This practice is supported by research connecting workplace autonomy and work success to increased work-based life satisfaction (Drobnič, Beham, & Präg, 2010;Erdogan, Bauer, Truxillo, & Mansfield, 2012) and improved coping in ICE investigators (Burns et al, 2008;Krause, 2009;Powell et al, 2014aPowell et al, , 2014bWolak & Mitchell, 2009). In contrast, investigators have reported lenient sentencing and low conviction rates of ICE offenders to be sources of strain (Powell et al, 2014a(Powell et al, , 2014b. This may suggest that investigators with higher levels of personal control over the conduct of successful investigations would, in addition to experiencing the generally beneficial effects of autonomy and work success, be able to feel a sense of personal responsibility for the connection between effort and success within a context emphasising the community service aspect of ICE investigation.…”

“…Moreover, this does not suggest that individual officers do not have sufficient grounds for psychiatric injury claims. To the contrary, it is well established that the investigation of ICE exposes police officers to a range of operational and organisational stressors that can potentially cause them harm (Burns et al., ; Perez et al., ; Powell et al., , ). Rather, the results attest to the resilience of current ICE investigators, as a group, in withstanding the nature of the material they deal with on a daily basis and handling potentially significant sources of negative workplace stress.…”

“…ICE investigators can, however, occasionally find themselves in conflict with another investigator. Not only does this detract from the satisfaction with workplace relationships, but vulnerability to workplace role stressors is increased and social support is necessarily reduced (Powell et al., ). Therefore, managers could consider developing an official response to the management of intra‐team conflict.…”

“…Over the course of an investigation, ICE investigators may be required to perform tasks such as searching data storage devices and meticulously cataloguing the contents, preserving evidence, preparing reports suitable for use in court proceedings, participating in court proceedings, and posing as offenders and victims to gain access to online networks (Burns, Morley, Bradshaw, & Domene, 2008;Krause, 2009;Mitchell, Wolak, & Finkelhor, 2005). ICE material involving younger victims and children who display obvious signs of fear and terror is known to heighten investigator distress 3 (Burns et al, 2008;Krause, 2009), and the work is also associated with a range of challenges common to other areas of child abuse investigation such as high case loads, inter-agency conflict, inadequate resourcing, and low managerial support (Perez, Jones, Englert, & Sachau, 2010;Powell, Cassematis, Benson, Smallbone, & Wortley, 2014a, 2014b. Given the wide array of potential stressors and evidence that physical, social, and psychological health can decline while performing ICE work (Bennett et al, 2005;Burns et al, 2008;Krause, 2009;Russ et al, 2009;Sabin-Farrell & Turpin, 2003), we considered it important to independently examine the association between ICE investigation and psychological well-being rather than assume that the prior findings are generalisable to this group.…”