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Police Officers’ Evaluation of the Impacts of COVID-19 on Policing, Police Leadership and Police Officer Quality of Life in Trinidad and Tobago

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  07 July 2025

Wendell C. Wallace*
Affiliation:
Criminology and Criminal Justice Unit, The University of the West Indies, St Augustine, Trinidad and Tobago

Abstract

Public health emergencies make an impact on policing in many ways, create unique challenges for police departments and affect the quality of life of police officers. These impacts include response, enforcement, preparedness, and inter- and intra-organizational dynamics. While there is much research on policing the pandemic in the Global North, similar scholarship emanating from the Caribbean is limited. With this lacuna in mind, the views of 32 members of the Trinidad and Tobago Police Service were collected via semi-structured interviews at the back end of the COVID-19 pandemic and used to answer four research questions. The results indicate a host of impacts on policing, police leadership and police officer quality of life as a result of the COVID-19-facilitated pandemic. The current study adds to the limited scholarship on policing during the pandemic and offers guidance on policing practice to ensure police officer safety and preparation for future health pandemics.

Abstracto

Abstracto

Las emergencias de salud pública afectan a la actuación policial de muchas maneras, crean desafíos únicos para los departamentos de policía y afectan la calidad de vida de los agentes de policía. Estos impactos incluyen la respuesta, la aplicación de la ley, la preparación y la dinámica inter e intraorganizacional. Si bien hay mucha investigación sobre la actuación policial durante la pandemia en el Norte Global, la investigación similar que surge del Caribe es limitada. Con esta laguna en mente, se recogieron las opiniones de treinta y dos miembros del Servicio de Policía de Trinidad y Tobago a través de entrevistas semiestructuradas al final de la pandemia de COVID-19 y se utilizaron para responder cuatro preguntas de investigación. Los resultados indican una serie de impactos en la actuación policial, el liderazgo policial y la calidad de vida de los agentes de policía como resultado de la pandemia facilitada por COVID-19. El estudio actual se suma a la limitada investigación sobre la actuación policial durante la pandemia y ofrece orientación sobre la práctica policial para garantizar la seguridad de los agentes de policía y la preparación para futuras pandemias de salud.

Abstrait

Abstrait

Les urgences de santé publique ont de nombreuses répercussions sur le maintien de l’ordre, créent des défis uniques pour les services de police et affectent la qualité de vie des policiers. Ces répercussions comprennent la réponse, l’application de la loi, la préparation et la dynamique inter et intra-organisationnelle. Bien qu’il existe de nombreuses recherches sur le maintien de l’ordre pendant la pandémie dans les pays du Nord, les études similaires émanant des Caraïbes sont limitées. Compte tenu de cette lacune, les points de vue de trente-deux membres du service de police de Trinité-et-Tobago ont été recueillis via des entretiens semi-structurés à la fin de la pandémie de COVID-19 et utilisés pour répondre à quatre questions de recherche. Les résultats indiquent une multitude d’impacts sur le maintien de l’ordre, le leadership policier et la qualité de vie des policiers en raison de la pandémie facilitée par la COVID-19. L‘étude actuelle s’ajoute aux études limitées sur le maintien de l’ordre pendant la pandémie et offre des conseils sur les pratiques policières pour assurer la sécurité des policiers et leur préparation aux futures pandémies sanitaires.

摘要

摘要

公共卫生紧急情况对警务工作产生了许多影响,给警察部门带来了独特的挑战,并影响了警察的生活质量。这些影响包括响应、执法、准备以及组织间和组织内的动态。虽然对全球北方大流行病的警务工作进行了大量研究,但来自加勒比地区的类似研究却很有限。考虑到这一缺陷,在 COVID-19 大流行的后端通过半结构化访谈收集了特立尼达和多巴哥警察局 32 名成员的观点,并用于回答四个研究问题。结果表明,由于 COVID-19 引发的大流行,警务工作、警察领导和警察生活质量受到了一系列影响。当前的研究增加了对大流行期间警务工作的有限研究,并为警务实践提供了指导,以确保警察安全并为未来的健康大流行做好准备。

ملخص

ملخص

تؤثر حالات الطوارئ الصحية العامة على عمل الشرطة بعدة طرق، وتخلق تحديات فريدة لأقسام الشرطة وتؤثر على جودة حياة ضباط الشرطة. وتشمل هذه التأثيرات الاستجابة، والتنفيذ، والاستعداد، والديناميكيات بين المنظمات وداخلها. وفي حين أن هناك الكثير من الأبحاث حول عمل الشرطة في ظل الجائحة في الشمال العالمي، فإن الدراسات المماثلة الصادرة عن منطقة البحر الكاريبي محدودة. ومع وضع هذه الثغرة في الاعتبار، تم جمع آراء اثنين وثلاثين عضوًا من خدمة شرطة ترينيداد وتوباغو من خلال مقابلات شبه منظمة في نهاية جائحة كوفيد-19 واستخدامها للإجابة على أربعة أسئلة بحثية. تشير النتائج إلى مجموعة من التأثيرات على عمل الشرطة، وقيادة الشرطة، ونوعية حياة ضباط الشرطة نتيجة للجائحة التي سهلها كوفيد-19. وتضيف الدراسة الحالية إلى الدراسات المحدودة حول عمل الشرطة أثناء الجائحة وتقدم إرشادات حول ممارسات عمل الشرطة لضمان سلامة ضباط الشرطة واستعدادهم للأوبئة الصحية المستقبلية.

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© International Society of Criminology, 2025

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