The human element. UK police wellbeing during the Covid-19 pandemic
Research Institution / Organisation
University of Huddersfield
In Collaboration With
National Police Wellbeing Service
Principal Researcher
Professor Jason Roach
Level of Research
Professional / Work-based
Project Start Date
October 2020
Research Context
Rational
Hopefully, much research on policing and the Covid-19 pandemic in the UK will
emerge in the coming months, but there is unlikely to be any that focuses on
the effects of policing the pandemic on ‘police’ and not simply ‘policing’ the
pandemic.
This research will examine the effects of policing during Covid-19 on UK police
staff and identify any effective coping strategies used to minimise these
effects, to inform the future form and provision of support services and
training for police.
Aims
To identify the common psychological, physical and emotional effects and
their intensity on staff engaged in UK policing during the Covid-19 pandemic,
from lockdown to the easing of social distancing rules, and to the possibility
of regional spikes and second-wave infection.
To identify effective coping strategies employed by a range of different
police staff to deal with the effects on wellbeing of UK police staff during
the Covid-19 pandemic.
To recommend appropriate support provision and training need for police
staff facing second-wave Covid-19 and future UK pandemic situations.
Outputs
For the first time findings will be presented on how the wellbeing of UK
‘police’ was affected by policing the pandemic and not simply on ‘policing’ per
se (e.g. how did they feel about approaching social distancing transgressors
during and after lockdown? How did they feel about wearing/not wearing PPE? How
did they feel going home to their families after a shift?).
For the first time both quantitative and qualitative research findings will
be presented on how police staff coped/ are coping with the negative effects on
their wellbeing of working during the pandemic. This can be used to inform
future welfare provision and to develop specific training on useful and effective
‘coping methods and strategies’ for all UK police (and other overseas police
services).
A final research report will be produced for the CoP to help enhance the
development of wellbeing resources, support, services, training etc for all UK
police in preparation for the re-occurrence of Covid-19 (or other pandemic
viruses) in future years.
An academic paper will be produced to be the lead article in the special
edition of the Police Journal. This will be guest edited by Dr Ian Hesketh
(Lead for NPWS).
Research Methodology
Methodology
To develop and utilise an electronic survey using Qualtrics software to
identify common effects on UK police working during the Covid-19 period. Sample
size will be 500-1000 UK police staff. The survey will likely include elements
of existing scales to measure wellbeing, coping strategies and resilience. The
survey proposed will be different in that
(i) the questions will be
framed specifically around police wellbeing during the UK Covid-19 pandemic
form March to October 2020 (i.e. including ‘lock-down’, ‘partial lockdown’ and
‘social distancing relation’ periods).
(ii) The use of Likert-type scales will afford a measurability of the intensity
of answers regarding the degree to which, for example the risk of being
‘coughed at’, have had an effect on respondents’ wellbeing, for example going
home to their family after a shift.
(iii) Common coping and resilience strategies will be identified to inform part
2 of the research below.
Semi-structured interviews and focus groups (informed by the survey) with UK
police staff will be used to provide more depth information/data of personal
individual experiences of coping/dealing with the effects on working during the
UK pandemic. Sample size will be 20-30 UK police staff. The findings from this
qualitative element of the research will build on the survey findings by
providing more detail on how effects experienced by those in different policing
roles were dealt with/overcome and so inform further police support and
training need in the case of second-wave or further/future pandemics.
Interim reports and publications
Date due for completion
March 2021
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