Substance Use and the Police An International Workplace Experience

Policing is an occupation shaped by local norms involving high levels of public authority, accountability, and responsibility. Moreover, police forces are exposed to situations that are dangerous or hazardous to themselves and members of the public. Furthermore, police action may require fast reflexes and quick thinking. This paper reviews the international empirical reports of the prevalence of substance abuse (mainly alcohol) among the police forces surveyed. The relevance of demographic variables and the impact of job content and job context related factors is analyzed. Police forces provide an interesting comparison group with the experience of health professionals often faced with similar stressors in the workplace, and the relative importance of personal and environmental variables.