Police stress Essay Example | Topics and Well Written Essays - 1250 words

Police stress - Essay Example Stress, actually, is a result of physical and emotional nervousness and anxiety that a person suffers due to pressures from people living in his surrounding or events happening in his life. Stress results in tension, touchiness, lack of concentration, nuisance, bad temper, and a number of physical indications such as headache. Segal et al. assert that â€Å"while some stress is a normal part of life, excessive stress interferes with your productivity and reduces your physical and emotional health, so it’s important to find ways to keep it under control†. A little stress is beneficial as it keeps one going and forces him to maintain his good performance. This is called positive stress. It adds to a person’s wellbeing and health as it leads him to manage things properly. On the other hand, stress becomes an emotional rollercoaster when the police officers are constantly worrying about their performances, input and output, out of fear of their officials. In cases wh ere the officers are constantly bullied, or are taken for granted, or are threatened for delayed or cut down salaries, or are treated harshly, there they undergo negative stress more commonly known as distress. Causes of Stress / Stressors in Police Since police officers are consistently facing human indecency, violence, fights, gore, arrests, threats, and negative behaviors, thus they are very much prone to negative stress. Police officers are also human beings just like us and there is a limit to their forbearance. Some of the major stressors in police are described below. Constant Danger The life of a police officer is constantly in danger. The constant feeling of being under peril takes its toll on the police officer causing him permanent stress. This ever-present danger is a part and parcel of the duty of a police officer. Internal Stressors These are the stressors that arise from within the police departments causing the officers to make sudden mobilizations and then occurrenc e of boredom for longer periods. Sudden shifts for longer periods causes boredom during which the officer has to remain alert for sudden actions. The presence of a gun all the time; the confronting of the jailed criminals; the administrative policies; the need to obey the commands from a senior officer even unwillingly; and, investigations and procedures, all add up to police stress. Lack of Reward Layoffs, delayed salaries, low budgets, and pressure from senior officers put strain over police officers’ minds which then results in decreased productivity and poor output. They undergo fear, become irritable, suffer through nuisance, and all this reflects in their relationship with the seniors and co-officers. Fatigue due to overworking without lunch or rest breaks or working for longer hours without naps; dissatisfaction caused by lack of motivation when the officers are not given their due rewards; and, lack of interest in the job due to constant pressure coming from seniors a nd poor communication with the co-officers form some of the major stressors in police work. When a police officer puts his sincere efforts in meeting deadlines and producing good results, he definitely needs an appreciation, a compliment, or some feedback from his seniors. If he is not given his due credit, he comes under stress. Workload Police officers complain about undergoing stress when the