Occupational Stress and Coping Strategies among Police Constables

Everyone today experiences a fairs hare of stress, irrespective of personal characteristics, environment and social conditions. The nature of police work is acknowledged as highly stressful and particularly hazardous. According to Mostert the negative effects of job stress on employees and their work are such that it is necessary to explore the processes involved when job stress is studied. The concept of stress was first introduced in the life sciences. The term ¿ stress is applied to the total transaction between the stressor and coping resources in the interaction together, over time, so that one may speak of system being ¿ under stress or a particular situation being stressful. Hans Seyle defined stress as ¿ the non-specific response of the body to any demand. The presence of stress among policemen is felt, but not recognized as the major enemy. Media reports of police brutality, indiscipline and mismanagement are a harbinger of the job. Social change, economic conditions, the total criminal justice system and the demands made on policemen¿s time with their families, all contribute towards the stress.