Influence Of Policing Strategies On Family Life Of Married Police Officers In Uasin Gishu County, Kenya

Abstract

Despite government attempts, the focus has consistently been on institutional policing changes rather than the social or emotional health of police personnel, despite the formation of policing policies. The family life of married police officers is of particular importance since it presents specific marital issues. When police officers bring their work-related stress and habits home with them, their family relationships may suffer. The goal of this study is to see how policing techniques affect the family lives of married police officers in Kenya’s Uasin Gishu County. The following goals led the research: to examine the impact of community policing partnerships on police officers’ family lives; to identify the impact of police patrol methods on police officers’ families; and to explore the impact of deterrent strategies on police officers’ families. The research was based on Bertalanffy’s Systems Theory, which he introduced in the 1930s. The married police officers may be compared to a subsystem inside the larger police system, which means that if something goes wrong with the police organization, it will inevitably affect all subsystems, including the officers and their families. A descriptive survey research approach was used in this study. In Uasin Gishu County, 1185 married police officers were studied. A total of 355 people were needed to reach the target sample size. The study employed purposeful, stratified, and basic random sampling approaches. Questionnaires, interviews, and Focused Group Discussions were utilized to collect primary data from respondents (FGDs). Secondary information was gathered from police records and other documents. The Cronbach’s alpha coefficient was used to assess the questionnaire’s internal consistency. To reach the study’s goals, the researchers used both qualitative and quantitative analyses. The data was sorted, classified, and overarching themes were developed using qualitative data from the interview schedules. Tables, frequencies, and percentages were used to show quantitative data, which were evaluated using descriptive and inferential statistics. The study found a significant relationship between community policing partnerships and police officers’ family life (p=0.000); a significant relationship between police patrol strategies and police officers’ family life (p=0.000); and a significant relationship between deterrence strategies and police officers’ family life (p=0.000). The study found that community policing partnerships make police officers’ jobs easier; rotating shifts, long hours, and exposure to life’s tragedies on patrol take a toll on cops, and cops tend to be analytical and forceful in order to stay safe while on the job. Police personnel are put in a range of dangerous scenarios. According to the report, successful adoption of police methods necessitates a massive leap of faith and a commitment to change. To reduce the negative effects of law enforcement work stress on marriage, it is necessary to assess the reality of law enforcement job stress, analyze its marital consequences, diffuse the stressful effects on the officer, and lastly deal with the actual effects on marriage. The findings of the study will be useful to the Kenyan government, the police and police organization, researchers, law enforcement officers, and other interested parties, as they will be able to use the findings to develop viable initiatives that will improve policing strategies and married police officers’ family lives.