Understanding police stress towards a secure and sustainable society
| Author | Bushara Bano,Parvaiz Talib |
| DOI | 10.1177/1461355717713999 |
| Published date | 01 September 2017 |
| Date | 01 September 2017 |
| Subject Matter | Articles |
Article
Understanding police stress towards
a secure and sustainable society
Bushara Bano
Department of Business Administration, Aligarh Muslim University, India
Parvaiz Talib
Department of Business Administration, Aligarh Muslim University, India
Abstract
The police is one of the most prominent organizations in a society, and police personnel are the most visible
representatives of the government. They are needed at times danger, crisis and difficulty. Hence, they are expected to
be the most accessible, interactive, responsive and dynamic organization in any society. Naturally, the duty and functions
of police personnel are varied, multifarious and interesting. At the same time, the role of the police is complicated, elusive,
problematic and complex. Primary functions of the police are mainly to prevent crime, and the maintenance of law and
order. Peace and order are essential prerequisites for the development of any society and country. Thus, the police force
plays a vital role in country’s development. It detects, fights, arrests and controls the enemies of peace and public order.
Because of their multifarious roles, police personnel are also exposed to various stressors, which are significantly different
in terms of quality and quantity compared with members of other occupational groups. This study attempts to assess
stress levels among police personnel to develop a secure and sustainable society.
Keywords
Stress, police, sustainability, ORS, India
Submitted 17 Aug 2016, Revise received 06 Apr 2017, accepted 03 May 2017
Introduction
Society is witnessing process of transformation. Because a
society is dynamic, it is continuously moving and chang-
ing; for better and for worse. Changes within a society take
place in the political, economic, cultural, scientific, legal
and environmental arenas. Society has witnessed changes
in crime too (Bano, 2013); it is increasingly criminalized.
According to an annual publication by the National Crime
Record Bureau (2016), crime in India increased by 3.4%
within a year; 2,949,400 crimes were reported under the
Indian Penal Code (IPC), in 2015 compared with 2,851,560
in 2014. Crimes in India are becoming more varied. Tradi-
tional crimes include drug trafficking, money laundering,
extortion, murder for hire, rape, human trafficking and
poaching. Many criminal operations engage in black
marketeering, political violence, religiously motivated
violence, terrorism and abduction. There are also some
property-related crimes such as, burglary, theft, motor
vehicle theft, corruption and arson. These traditional crimes
are termed blue collar crimes. In addition, a new category
of crime, white collar crimes, has emerged. These crimes
are committed by people who have respectability and high
social status. White collar crimes are committed just for
thrills, and include fraud, bribery, insider trading, embez-
zlement, IT crime, copyright infringement, money launder-
ing, identity theft and forgery. White collar criminals are
more powerful and have a network of r elationships that
protect them from the law. In addition, police personnel
are exposed to various threats from criminals (Bano, 2013).
Corresponding author:
Bushara Bano, Department of Business Administration, Aligarh Musli m
University, Aligarh-202002, Uttar Pradesh, India.
Email: syedabushara@gmail.com
International Journalof
Police Science & Management
2017, Vol. 19(3) 159–170
ªThe Author(s) 2017
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DOI: 10.1177/1461355717713999
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