Physical, technical and tactical training and stress management in law enforcement

Abstract

Police officers are often exposed to periods of intense working stress to ensure investigative, surveillance and public order activities. However, differences in the way policemen manage stress and perceive psychophysical health are unclear compared to workers in other sectors. Thus, the purpose of this study was to investigate the sources of stress and coping strategies, and the perception of the physical and mental state of health of the law enforcement by comparing these indicators with a representative sample of the Italian population. The sample included 101 police officers (age: 46.08 ± 5.66 years; body mass: 81.60 ± 14.04 kg; and body height: 173.47 ± 6.14 cm) volunteered to this study. The Occupational Stress Indicator and the Short Form- 12 were used. The z-test was used to determine the differences with the representative sample. The level of significance was set at p <0.05. Police officers perceive less stress compared to the general population and have a more realistic attitude towards the various working situations. In addition, they use more resources outside of work (e.g. sport activities in leisure time) and have a greater perception of physical and mental well-being. The findings suggest that, likely, through the mentality acquired during the initial training course in the police school and subsequently the refresher courses in the context of the continuing education (i.e., physical, technical and tactical training: operational and self-defense techniques, physical fitness training, shooting drill), the police officers may be able to prevent and cope with occupational stress that causes harmful physical and emotional reactions and threatens the quality of life. Accordingly, they could improve physical and working efficiency.