If you have issues viewing or accessing this file contact us at NCJRS.gov. ~;. o U.S. Department of Justice 108959 National Institute of Justice This document has been reproduced exactly as received from Ihe person or organizatIOn onglnatlng It Points of view or opinIOns stated In this document are those of the authors and do not necessarily represent the olficial position or policies of the Nalionat Institute of Justice Permission to reproduce this copynghted matenal In mi­ crofiche only has been granted by Au~tX')~lian .!n~Ltitu.te__ oJ Crimin.oJ.g.gy to the National Criminal Justice Reference Service iNCJRS) Further reproduction outside of the NCJRS system reqUires permls, - slon of the copyright owner ii' 3& nj " Australian Institute of Criminology •i ~ i Trends· I andI!lI I Issues in crime and criminal justice rh PillJI Wilson ((~(lll"ln' frlilnr) Compiled and written by Bruce Swanton October 1987 On 29 July 1987, Queensland police ,.. policing is becoming increas­ conducted a dawn raid on a Brisbane 'Detective hit by one of six ingly more difficult, both phys­ house in search of one of Australia's shots, court told' ically and psychologically; and most wanted criminals. A shoot-out fol­ Age 23 April 87 ~ the health of police officers is lowed which left one police officer dead 'Policemen feared for lives' deteriorating, physically as and another wounded. The wanted man Canberra Times 23 April 87 well as psychologically. was also killed. 'Police: Man Tried to Kill Police officers are not alone in This recent event is a dramatic illus­ Constable' tration of the grave dangers faced on believing society is becoming har­ Courier Mail 30 April 87 occasions by members of the nation's sher and more violent. Among 'Army Corporal Kicked others, fonner Chief Justice of the various police forces. They are dangers High Court, Sir Harry Gibbs, has which many police officers, and the 3 Police' Sunday Telegraph 3 May 87 publicly asserted such is the case. public in general, believe are growing Police officers, though, are closer in our society. As such, substantial 'Hero Dies Over AIDS to the streets and see such con­ concern has been expressed about the Crash Fears' ditions as affecting the quality of impact of an increasingly hazardous Daily Telegraph 5 June 87 their health in addition to the work environment upon the health and 'Threat to Blow People quality of society generally. safety of more than 35 000 police Away during Standoff with Health impacts of police work officers serving around the country. Police' are as important in economic The research results in this Trends and terms as they are on humanitarian Courier Mail 5 June 87 and social grounds. Costs of lost Issues on Crime and Criminal Justice 'Anxiety Compo for Police' time, early retirement, compensa­ contain some reassuring information. Advertiser 10 June 87 tion and medical and psychiatric During the period 1977-87 the avail­ treatment, for an Australasian able evidence suggests that the general 'Major Case nearly wrecked police population in excess health and safety of police did not [detective's] Marriage' of 35 000 officers are enormous deteriorate. However, the findings also Daily Telegraph 12 June 87 even when optimal conditions pre­ emphasise the need to continue the vail. In addition, there are add on search for ways of minimising the occu­ costs in respect of administration, pational hazards of pQlice work-a task equipment, recruitment, training, which is already being tackled by Aus­ loss of experience and so on. Some tralian police administrators. Reprinted above is a small selec­ of these factors, eg, resignations tion of headlines to newspaper art­ and recruitment, sometimes be­ Duncan Chappell icles published during a seven come the subject of industrial dis­ Director week period. The articles highlight pute and political manoeuvrings, some of the dangerous aspects of thus further reducing the quality police work and the health im­ of police officers' working environ­ pacts of those dangers. Given the ments. The poorer police em­ apparent fre'1uency of threats and ployee health generally is, the physical harm to police officers, it greater are the costs of coping. is understandable two widely held Given these concerns, the Aus­ assumptions have developed with­ tralian Institute of Criminology in the Australasian police com­ undertook a preliminary retrospec­ munity: tive study of police health, for varying periods between 1966 and 1,985. A report dealing with Table 1 Police officers shot/bombed in the line of duty: police health and related issues Australasia; 1976-85 wiII be published later. Year NSW VIC QLD WA sA 1'AS NT AGl' NZ This Research Brief concentrates 1976 1 1 0 0 1 0 0 0 1 on selected aspects of police health 1977 2 2 1 0 2 0 2 0 0 during the decade 1976-85. 1978 6 1 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1979 1 3 0 4 1 0 0 0 0 1980 5 2 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 THE RESEARCH 1981 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 0 1982 II 5 0 1 0 0 0 0 0 1983 1 2 0 1 1 0 0 0 0 Six measures of police health were 1984 6 2 1 1 0 0 0 0 0 1985 2 selectedl 4 0 0 1 0 0 0 0 Total 26 22 2 7 6 0 2 0 1 II shootings/bombings in line of Annual average 2.6 2.2 0.2 0.7 0.6 0.0 0.2 0.0 0.1 duty Rale/100 000 27.88 28.46 4.76 26.51 19.37 0.0 37.54 0.0 2.06 m accidental deaths in line of duty l'I other deaths in service ~ Compared with some 40 over­ Deaths from other causes 1'1 non-fatal assaults in line of seas police populations, police The great majority of other deaths duty . shooting fatality rates in Aus­ resulted from cancer or heart I"! invalidity tralasia were found to be close attack. The only other significant to the average. 3 '" resignations cause was suicide, which occurred at a far lower frequency. Further: Data were collected from police 111 Tasmania, Australian Capital jurisdictions throughout Aus­ Territory and New Zealand ~ There were no significant in- tralasia, as well as overseas, there­ Police were the only agencies creases over time in the rates by permitting tentative conclu­ to experience lower shooling of death of police officers from sions to be drawn as to whether: fatality rates than the police of other causes. England and Wales. 4 In the rates associated with the " With regard to those jurisdic­ various measures increased m Compared with the United tions in which comparative over time; and States, the rates of deaths and public service data were avail­ woundings by gunshot of on­ able, it was found that 'other 111 police officers in Australasia duty police officers throughout death' rates for police were were significantly disadvan­ Australasia were infinilesimal.5 taged in comparison with other lower than those among public groups. f:!I There were no significant in­ servants in Victoria, Tasmania creases in shooting/bombing and New Zealand, but higher than public servants in Wes­ TIlE FINDINGS rates of police officers over 6 tern Australia and Tasmania. Ii .. rt 44 t'ff 'Pf f '1",.-'1 jet.Aft Ii"A:'f'M W i.. ,hi " ..'f"I"tIt time in any jurisdiction. Selected findings of the study are 1\1 On-duty police officers were presented here, mostly without murdered at a greater rate than Non-fatal assaults qualification. The principal report the general public in their res­ should be referred to for further pective jurisdictions, with the Non-fatal assault'S data included details. exceptions of Tasmania and all weapons other than firearms Australian Capital Territory. (except where used as a club­ Shooting/Bombing (see Table 1) there was one such case) and ex­ The majority of shootings of plosive devices. Tlms, feet, fists, on-duty police officers were car­ Accidental deaths clubs, motor vehicles, knives, etc., are all used.to attack police ried out with rifles. Bombings were The great majority of accidental largely confined to New South officers and such attacks were deaths were the result of motor included in the study. Unfortu­ Wales and Victoria. Circumstances . vehicle accidents. Very few of the surrounding inciden ts varied con­ nately, insufficient data were accidents involved police in high available to permit analysis of siderably but attempting arrests speed pursuits. Further: and attending disturbance calls weapons used and the circum­ figured prominently. The incidence " Accidental deaths were low in stances in which they were used. of shootings arising from domestic all agencies. Only three police Further: disturbances was small overall. forces averaged one or more ,., There were no significant in­ Further: such deaths per year. No acci­ creases in assaults on police dental deaths occurred in the over time, in respect of those l\'I Nearly all murders of on-duty Northern Territory. Australasian police officers agencies for which data were were committed through use of " There were no significant in­ available, i.e. Victoria, Western firearms or bombs2 (65 in Aus­ creases over time. Australia, Tasmania and Nor­ tralia, one in New Zealand). thern Territory. n Rates of accidental death in FIt Tasmania and Australian Capi­ United States police agencies /"! Police officers were subjected tal Territory Police suffered no were broadly similar to those to higher assault rates than the gunshoVbomb casualties dur­ found in police agencies in general public in their respec.­ ing the period. Australasia. tive jurisdictions.