There is some, limited evidence to suggest that working as a firearms officer (where decisions made as part of a working day can mean life of death) is strongly linked to PTSD (Bär et al., 2004; Carlier et al., 1997) … There is some contradictory evidence that suggests that the initial psychological screening of firearms officers and ongoing support results in them reporting lower levels of stress than other officers (Sheard et al., 2019).
Jim Foley and Kristina Louise Dawn Massey (2021) ‘The ‘cost’ of caring in policing: from burnout to PTSD in police officers in England and Wales’ Police Journal, 94(3), 298-315.
Critically evaluate the extent to which firearms officers attending major and critical incidents are more likely to experience PTSD than other police officers.
Your answer should not exceed 1,500 words.
