The life a police officer is no laughing matter. You will come across dangers on a daily basis. There are many emotions involved in this job. Besides emotional stability, you will need to have physical fitness to overcome your day-to-day job challenges.
Daily Challenges for a Police Officer
Here are some examples of problems that you may encounter on a daily basis as a police officer.
Make Roads Safer
If you see a car with one of the headlights not working, you will have to pull it over. It is your job to go to the driver and inform them about the dangers of missing a light. Tell the driver how dangerous it can be for themselves as well for the oncoming traffic. In some cases, you may issue them a fine or give a verbal warning to get that light fixed, so their vehicle becomes road-worthy.
Handle A Car Accident
As a police officer, it is your job to attend to emergency situations. In emergency cases, you will have to utilize your training to give first aid, and you may need to call the ambulance. However, if the ambulance is already at the crash scene, you can still assist the injured. It may also require you to talk to reporters and explain the incident to them. Therefore, you need to be emotionally stable to handle such chaotic situations with ease.
Inform to Next of Kin
It may sound easy, but it is tough. Some people have just lost their lives in front of you. Your supervisor asks you to inform about their death to their loved ones. As a police officer, you will have to inform about their death to their next of kin. If the person cannot come to the police station, you may have to visit them in person. There is a flurry of emotions which would run through that person when you tell them about the death of their loved one. Although you feel their pain, you will have to control your emotions somehow.
Carry Out Patrolling Duties
You are responsible for providing safety to the public. It means protecting people, their properties, and enforcing the criminal law of your area. You will have to identify, pursue and arrest dangerous criminals who may already have spent years behind the bar. Sometimes, you may also have to assist in carrying a criminal investigation being witness to a crime scene.
Write Reports
As a police officer, you need to learn how to write a detailed report. You need to ensure that you are accurately reporting the facts without missing any important details. However, you also have to make sure that you are not exaggerating any facts. Therefore, the reports that you write help investigators know more about an incident and easily find the culprit. When you are planning to write a report, start right away. Furthermore, it is important to start writing right after an event so that there are lesser chances of missing any critical details.
The War on Terrorism in Urban Areas
Terrorism has spread on a whole different level now. The recent incidents of terrorism in the US, France, Germany and other parts of the world speak volumes about the newly emerging threats. Therefore, police officers may also need to tackle hardened terrorists who are ready to give their lives for their cause. Therefore, police officers need to undergo more training to deal with this newly emerging menace to maintain law and order yet.
Criminal Prosecution of the Police Officers
Sometimes, acting in the line of duty, a police officer may unintentionally commit fatal mistakes. These mistakes may make a person permanently disabled or lose their life. Therefore, in that case, the law enforcing officers may have to face criminal prosecution. It makes the life of the officer a lot more difficult. One wrong call to pull the trigger of their gun can be the difference between keeping their job or going behind bars for a long time.
Difficulties in Recruiting and Retaining Top Talent
Policing is a tough job. Not everyone is fit for this job. Therefore, there is a high turnover, and people also tend to leave within a few years. The increase in scrutiny by the media has made it difficult for police officers to do their job without pressure. Some of the factors that people consider while applying for a police officer job include fear of making a terrible mistake, lower pension, and understaffing. Understaffing adds more pressure to the lesser number of staff members to patrol a larger area.
Scrutiny of the Body Worn Camera or BWC
A lot of areas have made it mandatory for police officers to have body worn cameras. In the case of an incident, the department will come under pressure to release the footage. It is not easy to explain the situation through a camera why a police officer did or did not choose to commit to an action. The camera may not be able to capture everything taking place for instance at a crime scene. Therefore, BWC puts extra pressure on the police officers when performing their duties.
