NCJ Number
191407
Journal
Policing: An International Journal of Police Strategies and Management Volume: 24 Issue: 3 Dated: 2001 Pages: 301-309
Date Published
2001
Length
9 pages
Annotation
Research conducted in Lithuania sought to determine the main psychosocial problems encountered by police officers in this independent post-communist country.
Abstract
The research reviewed the situation in Lithuania and noted that the crime rate and occurrence of alcohol and drug abuse increased, and the economic crisis deepened following the restoration of independence. The analysis used a specially-developed instrument called the Lithuanian University of Law Questionnaire. The questionnaire’s eight sections focused on society and police, stress inherent in police work, police and family, relations with the police chief, relations with colleagues, administrative stress, police and suicide, and police and alcohol. One hundred twenty-seven police officers volunteered to complete the questionnaire anonymously. Seventy-six percent had served 1-5 years; 23 percent had served 6-10 years. Results revealed that 69 percent of participants perceived that the mass media portrayed the police as ineffective. Sixty-one percent reported that the inability to punish guilty persons because of a lack of convicting factors was depressing. One of the most stressful factors concerning relations with colleagues was competition. Results indicated that the stress factors with the greatest negative effect were the administrative problems of police work, family problems, and an ineffective criminal justice system. The fourth most stressful factor was the mass media interpretation of police work. Findings had many similarities to those of police stress surveys in the United States. The analysis concluded that the questionnaire and survey design need improvement. Figures and 5 references (Author abstract modified)