Police and occupationally related violence: a review

Abstract

Police, it has been claimed, are at constant risk of danger. While theirs is not the only occupation that involves personal danger some factors about the type of threats police work with make such stress unique. A consensus has been built which claims that policing is a high stress job. Reviews the literature pertaining to four questions that revolve around the issues of policing and occupationally rated violence. To what extent is exposure to violence of one form or another a significant stressor for police? What are the pattern of stressors, overall, for police and how does violence rate within this pattern? What factors might be isolated that augment the effects of violence, and what are the effects of violence? Finally, what characteristics of police coping may be identified that either ameliorate or exacerbate the effects of stress?

Citation

Lennings, C.J. (1997), "Police and occupationally related violence: a review", Policing: An International Journal, Vol. 20 No. 3, pp. 555-566. https://doi.org/10.1108/13639519710180222