Employees in the police force, like those in other professions in the society, should be happy and content with the work they do. After reviewing several surveys, it has become general knowledge that officers have high rates of stress, mental illness, and suicide. Police officers' job happiness is in doubt, even though their training aims to prepare them for the demanding aspects of their law enforcement duties. Due to their humanity, police officials are prone to all difficulties that people experience. According to evidence-based results, police officers may experience high and unmanaged levels of stress, which can cause self-control issues, anxiety, depressed mood and eventually conditions like post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) may creep in. The regularity and intensity of the occurrence may pose doom to the crucial police force job (Vadackumchery, 2013). This assignment discusses the satisfaction of police officers on the job.
Challenges hindering police officer satisfaction
Research surveys and analysis of responses from police officers show considerable challenges that hinder police officer satisfaction on their job. Some of the challenges attach on the Maslow's theory. According to Abraham Maslow, human needs are segmented into hierarchal stages of needs (Maslow, 2017). The attainment or fulfillment of these needs creates motivation to people. Maslow's theory divided the hierarchy of needs into a five-stage model. The elementary level is the fulfillment of biological or physiological needs that entails food, breathing air, shelter and many other basic elements. The second level of needs are the safety needs that entail security, law, and entire protection from elements of harm. The third level is the fulfillment of socialness which refers to love, friendship, intimacy and a sense of belonging in the society. The fourth category is the attainment of esteem needs through the creation of achievements, the element of mastery, feeling of independence and development of status amongst other things. The last fulfillment that man desires is a self-actualization need that entails recognition of the personal potential and self-fulfillment amongst other wishful targets (Maslow, 2017).
Lack of mental security for police officers
The government has attempted to provide the police with the relevant working gears that reduce the difficulty at work and enhance their physical security. The provision of firearms, bulletproof vests, handcuffs, and many other tools or instruments are aimed at making their work easier and feel motivated (Chaurasia, 2003). Despite exposure to critical risks, many police officer's laud government roles in addressing the critical essence of their bodily or physical security. However, the police mental security has rarely been addressed. That case reveals the source of the stress that affects the police officers. Physical security and mental security are equally vital in having a balanced working person. Failure to address mental security which is part of safety as enlisted in the second stage of Maslow's theory is detrimental (Maslow, 2017). Police officers complain of harassment and lack of consideration from management. Police management and administrators are overly demanding from their junior officers thus reducing the love for the job. Very few police would recommend the job to other people (Vadackumchery, 2013).
Exposure to trauma and the need for psychological support
Police officers' work entails exposure to trauma and officers accept the fact. Officers would be called to secure crime scenes, accidents, collect bodies accident casualties and many other challenging calls on duty. This informs the need for the police administration to establish a congruent and constructive psychological help mechanism for the officers in the field. Recurrent diagnosis services should be rendered free to the officers serving in the police force. The officers should always be accorded treatment as human and not as superhuman.
The demands and stress of working in law enforcement
Working in the law enforcement sector is enormously demanding. The job requires an adeptness when countering stress, maintaining composure while exposed to precarious situations, tolerance of intense shift work and dealing calmly with extremely violent members of the society. Many police officers refer to their work as stressful (Sullivan, 2014). Research shows that unabated exposure to stress presents several negative conditions, for instance, heart ailments, stomach ulcers, digestive maladies, high blood pressure, and headaches and many other physiological conditions. Stress in the police emanate from demanding police work; internal factors, for instance, poor management and harassment by the superiors; external factors collected from the criminal justice system and the community (Dubber & Valverde, 2013). The job demands conflicting approach on serving the people. The balance between rendering services to the public, implementing the law and maintaining high standards of ethical standards. The police are also expected on the act undertake personal responsibilities at home such as the role of spouses, parents, and friends (Vadackumchery, 2013).
Low job satisfaction and unfulfilled needs
In conclusion, job satisfaction for the officers is low due to the presence of considerable unfulfilled needs. The provision of a psychologically safe and secure working area. The government has significantly addressed the need primary needs such as fair remuneration, physical protective gears, and legal structure to work within, but has not been able to address the stress that mainly emanates from exposure to trauma. The remedy for psychological disturbances obtained through scenes of fatal accidents and shootouts is relatively hard to address. All police recruitment activities must prepare them for the mental torture, and psychological imbalance witnessed in the force. Police undergo skill enhancing in the physical tackling of crimes such as shooting techniques, but the imperativeness of psychological preparedness is not critically addressed.
References
Maslow, Abraham (2017). Theory Of Human Motivation. S.L.: Www Bnpublishing Com.
Chaurasia, M. K. (2003). Police training. New Delhi: Northern Book Centre.
Sullivan, J. L. (2014). Introduction to police science. New York: Gregg Division / McGraw- Hill.
Vadackumchery, J. (2013). Crime, law, and police science. New Delhi: Concept Pub. Co.
Dubber, M. D., & Valverde, M. (2013). The new police science: The police power in domestic and international governance. Stanford, CA: Stanford University Press.
