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Leadership as a Mental Shield: How Leaders of Specialised Police Units Can Promote Inner Resilience and Mental Stability

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Police Conflict Management, Volume II

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Abstract

Critical security situations place high demands on the mental resilience of law enforcement officers. In particular, life-threatening circumstances can endanger the moral, mental, and social stability of specialised police units and special forces (SPU/SF) teams, and such higher levels of stress can impair their ability to act professionally and safely (Zihn in: Staller & Körner (Eds.), Handbuch polizeiliches Einsatztraining - Professionelles Konfliktmanagement (1st ed., pp. 913–927). Springer Fachmedien Wiesbaden). In this chapter, the authors first illustrate the risks and consequences that can be generated by a high mental stress load. They follow this by addressing a salutogenetic (health-oriented) perspective that defines potential resources and coping strategies that fortify sound decision-making and actions under stressful conditions. They propose methods that enable emergency teams to work healthily under demanding conditions. The focus is on behavioural patterns of team leaders that can promote the cognitive, emotional, and physical fortitude of team members by strengthening the health-promoting concepts of resilience, coherence, and hardiness. The chapter describes some training components of the German Federal Police and summarises the authors’ recent work with SPU/SF teams to provide recommendations for leadership of such units in high-risk environments.

Reviewer: Benedikt Heusler

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Notes

  1. 1.

    On 22 November 2016, 10 people were killed and 36 injured. The situation was challenging because of demanding information management and dynamic / non-transparent devlopements.

  2. 2.

    The Special Arrest and Evidence Public Order Unit of the German Police. It works mainly in situations with increased risk potential such as demonstrations, football matches, and combating organised crime. It also supports SWAT units.

  3. 3.

    The Mobile Surveillance and Arrest Unit of the German Police SFs. Its main tasks are undercover observation and arrests in, especially, mobile situations with high danger. It supports SWAT units.

  4. 4.

    The Special Weapons and Tactics Unit of the German Police SFs. It is responsible for cases of particular danger such as counter-terrorism, hostage rescue, and raids, especially if the opponent is heavily armed or barricades himself in.

  5. 5.

    Considered as a principle of negotiation. The founder is Fisher et al. (2018).

  6. 6.

    In symbiotic addition to the formal police culture, which is oriented on rules and guiding principles, the informal cop culture takes account of the demands of the working officers on the street. For the practical accomplishment of tasks, it is characterised by creative, efficient, unbureaucratic patterns of action (Behr 2008).

  7. 7.

    Operationalised by thrill and adventure seeking (risky, exciting activities; e.g., driving a car fast), experience seeking (impressions; e.g., travelling, culture, spirituality), disinhibition (stimulation; e.g., through social activities such as parties, drinking, gambling, sexual contacts), and boredom susceptibility (rejection of routine and boredom).

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Authors and Affiliations

  1. Coburg Universtiy of Applied Sciences, Coburg, Germany

    Tamara Jäger, James Giordano & Niko Kohls

Authors
  1. Tamara Jäger
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  2. James Giordano
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  3. Niko Kohls
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Correspondence to Tamara Jäger .

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Editors and Affiliations

  1. University of Applied Sciences for Police and Public Administration North Rhine-Westphalia, Cologne, Nordrhein-Westfalen, Germany

    Mario S. Staller

  2. German Sport University, Cologne, Germany

    Swen Koerner

  3. Aurora, ON, Canada

    Benni Zaiser

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Jäger, T., Giordano, J., Kohls, N. (2023). Leadership as a Mental Shield: How Leaders of Specialised Police Units Can Promote Inner Resilience and Mental Stability. In: Staller, M.S., Koerner, S., Zaiser, B. (eds) Police Conflict Management, Volume II. Palgrave Macmillan, Cham. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-3-031-41100-7_17

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