February 2000 Volume 81 Number 2 "serving the protectors"
By Andy Dunn

Series Doubles As Study

Never has a series which follows the entire careers of a group of police officers been featured in the Police Journal. By allowing the world into the privacy of their working lives, Constables Stephanie Cooper, Damian Britton and Donna Sampson, are not only providing stimulating reading but also a near scientific study.

With resignation rates among all Australian police relatively high, one naturally searches for reasons. Why do some police officers become occupationally dissatisfied? At exactly what point in their careers do they suffer disillusionment and feel unfulfilled? What are all the contributing factors?

Police associations, of course, have many of the answers and continually attempt to address the problems. But by 2030 - or earlier - we may well see that a simple magazine interview series was able throw vitally important light on issues associated with job satisfaction.

Evident from Beyond Recruitment: The First Two Years is that some - although not many - of the officers’ views have slightly changed. Drastic changes would not be expected in their outlook after only two years. But a rare opportunity will present itself if less favourable views of the job begin to appear in their commentaries.

This will be the time for other professional people to “pounce” and attempt to determine - with greater precision - the true causes of disillusionment and dissatisfaction. The responsibility to address those causes would then clearly rest with police agencies. Losing experienced police officers is, after all, in no one’s interests.

Meanwhile, Cooper, Britton and Sampson have shown impressive commitment to their work. The Police Journal congratulates them on their open input to the interview series and wishes them well in their careers.

The Journal Commitment

The Police Journal is the most important service the Police Association of South Australia provides its members, according to a recent Australian Business Enterprise Development survey. PASA members rated the journal above enterprise agreement negotiations as well as industrial and legal representation.

The survey also indicated that, of Police Association services, the Police Journal was the most commonly used in the last three years. Actual usage by members was 89%, while the survey showed a satisfaction rating of 74%.

Clearly, the Police Journal has responded to reader demand with the production relevant, factual copy and a commitment to fair and unbiased reporting. Readers can be assured that it will remain a magazine of ever-increasing dynamism and one day rival even more successful commercial publications.

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