Why the Personal Resilience of Police Officers Is Vital to Building Community Trust and Confidence

Policing is an inherently a stressful occupation, with double the levels of work-related stress found in the general working population. In this chapter, the author argues for a paradigm shift toward prioritizing personal resilience given recent events that have damaged public trust and confidence. He will draw on his own research and workforce insights and ask “why are we surprised when split second decisions that are made under huge pressure by traumatized, exhausted, and stressed humans sometimes go wrong?”. He will put forward a solution which adopts an evidence-based approach to develop a trauma-informed workplace where compassion toward each other translates into improved community trust and confidence.