A review of work done with the police force and the need for change

A number of studies have been conducted and published on police personnel across the world. Studies have shown that younger police personnel experience fear on the job while older police personnel are more fearful of being negatively appraised on the job. The work of the police is both demanding and stressful and these are associated with burnout and increased incidence of mood disorders. Increases in stress levels has also been associated with suicidal ideation. Our emotions are a product of the culture that we are brought up in and live in. which points to the need to reduce the stigma associated with police personnel seeking help for mental health. There is a need to shift to community based policing where police personnel are seen as helpful guardians, rather than being military like in uniform. In addition there is a need to have better measures of assessment of the stress levels of police personnel. Better wellbeing has been significantly associated with increased job satisfaction, lower levels of depression, reduced frustration and lower work related stress