CHAPTER ONE

INTRODUCTION

1.1     Background to the Study

According to Colauto and Barros (2013), police work is a particular stressful occupation; Police officers on their daily duties have not only to take care of themselves but also assure the safety of the public and still be able to keep their emotions and reactions under control. As a consequence of the demanding occupation, several physical and psychological health problems can occur, with impact on the welfare of officers and citizens. This exposure of police officers to potential stress sources over time has been associated with several problems Achonga, Lagat and Akuja, (2011), affecting not only behavioral such as absenteeism, poorer interactions with the public, fatigue, attitude towards the use of violence; excessive drinking and smoking, but also physical such as cardiovascular diseases, digestive problems, and psychological components thoughts of suicide, anxiety, depression, post-traumatic stress disorder and burnout. Thus, the understanding of police officers stress is crucial.

Nowadays, police forces in most European countries face extremely challenging times. These are due to a combination of factors including open borders, drug trafficking, terrorism, multicultural diversity and inclusion and the overall use of new technologies in contemporary life. Although previous studies have highlighted the effects of acute organizational and operational stress among police officers across different European countries Achonga et al. (2011), little is known about the effects of these contemporary demands on police officer’s occupational health or whether they are somewhat similar or completely different across European countries. In an attempt to understand this relationship and reflect on best practices on police occupational health in Europe, it seems crucial to conduct European comparative research, contributing to the development of a more qualified police training system ‘capable of responding quickly and intelligently to the accelerating pace of social change’. Although European comparative studies among police officers have strong theoretical and applied implications at an individual and institutional level, little work has been conducted in this area, mainly due the difficulties associated with the research process and described in the following lines.