Sources of Job Stress in Police Work in a Developing Country

Abstract

An attempt was made to determine which job events are perceived as significant sources of stress in police work. The Police Stress Inventory was developed based on the interviews with police staff and experts in police administration for this study. The questionnaire was administered to a random sample of 220 police personnel. The respondents rated the job situations as least stressful (0%) to most stressful (100%). They consider the organizational and social aspects of their job are more stressful especially round the clock duty, lack of time for family, political pressures from outside and inadequate facilities. Results indicate that stress is due more to organisational factors than to physical hazards on the job. Efforts should be made by police administration to take corrective measures such as changes within organization and improving training programs. Efforts should be made by police administration to take corrective measures such as changes within organization and improving training programs.

Stress among Italian male and female patrol police officers: a quali-quantitative survey

“…One expected organizational stressor reported by both genders was the low salary for a potentially high-risk job (Suresh et al, 2013), while we found it very interesting that the difficulty of working with colleagues was due to the lack of cooperation and confidence in their emotional and relational competence. Women perceived the lack of cooperation and professional recognition for their job as a critical element more than men, as already reported by Morash, Kwak and Haarr (2006).…”

Emotional Intelligence in Malaysian Police: A Review

“…Additionally, police officers are expected to deliver excellent services and being sensitive to the needs of the community (Abdullah, 2010). Generally, although police provide excellent service to the public, the public always perceives police officers as an enemy (Suresh, Anantharaman, Angusamy, & Ganesan, 2013). Therefore, building a relationship with the public for effective community policing is poses as a challenge for police.…”

“…Police job involves high-risk tasks (Abdullah, 2010;Patterson, 2009;Russell, 2014;Suresh et al, 2013). Police officers encounter various traumatic experiences that sandwiched them between death or life decisions (Patterson, 2009).…”

“…Police officers encounter various traumatic experiences that sandwiched them between death or life decisions (Patterson, 2009). According to Suresh et al (2013), police profession has an adverse effect on the total life span of the police officers including their family, as they are more vulnerable to face prejudice, suspicion, and hostility from the public even during off duty. Datuk Seri Mohamad Fauzi Harun, the Director of Management Department, Bukit Aman reported that every day at least one police officer dies on duty (Kumarappa, 2014).…”

Exploring differences between the health and wellness of state police officers and community corrections professionals.

“…Overall, some evidence suggests the organizational aspects of law enforcement work are more stressful for officers than the physical aspects of policing (Suresh, Anantharaman, Angusamy, & Ganesan, 2013). As such, research on the most stressful aspects of policing suggests law enforcement officers think occupational stressors such as work disrupting family life, lack of communication, lack of workload control, excessive work, and inadequate support as more stressful than policing itself (Collins & Gibbs, 2003).…”