A profile of occupational tasks performed by mounted police officers.

Objective Overview

• This study aimed to identify and analyze the specific occupational tasks performed by Australian mounted police officers and assess the physiological demands associated with these tasks to inform conditioning and training programs.

Introduction and Purpose

• Policing organizations consist of diverse units and job roles with distinct duties.
• Mounted police officers represent a unique unit whose occupational tasks have not been extensively profiled.
• The purpose of this study was to create a comprehensive profile of occupational tasks performed by Australian mounted police officers.
• The study also aimed to evaluate the physiological challenges (heart rate, respiratory rate, and skin temperature) correlated with specific job duties to guide conditioning and rehabilitation efforts.

Participants and Methods

• Thirteen fully qualified mounted police officers participated, including 11 females.
• Participants had an average of approximately 3.3 years (±2.3 years) of service in the mounted police unit.
• The study design was an observational cohort conducted over four consecutive shifts for each officer.
• Data collection included:
  • Surveys outlining common occupational tasks.
  • Wearable monitors (Equivital EQ-02) to track physiological variables: heart rate (HR), respiratory rate (RR), and skin temperature (ST).
  • Observation and recording of body position, physical activity level, perceived task effort, and load carriage by researchers.
• Statistical analysis was performed using one-way ANOVA to compare physiological measures across the three most commonly performed tasks.

Occupational Tasks Identified

• The survey identified a total of 130 distinct occupational tasks.
• Out of these, 38 tasks were reported as most common by the participants.
• The three top reported tasks were:
  • Horse riding (reported by all 13 officers, 34% of total task instances)
  • Mounted patrols (reported by 10 officers, 26%)
  • Horse care (reported by 10 officers, 26%)
• These tasks were also described as the most physically demanding among their duties.

Physiological Findings

• Heart Rate (HR):
  • HR during ‘horse care’ and ‘horse riding’ was significantly higher than during ‘mounted patrol’ by 27±7 bpm and 33±8 bpm respectively (p = 0.001 for both).
• Respiratory Rate (RR):
  • Mean RR was highest during ‘horse riding’ compared to both ‘horse care’ (5.3±1.6 breaths per minute) and ‘mounted patrol’ (8.5±1.9 breaths per minute).
• Skin Temperature (ST) data were collected but not highlighted in the results summary.

Implications and Conclusion

• Mounted policing involves distinct physiological demands related to specific tasks such as horse riding and horse care.
• Higher heart rates and respiratory rates during certain tasks reflect unique physical stress and the need for specialized conditioning.
• Understanding these occupation-specific task demands is crucial for:
  • Developing targeted physical conditioning programs to prepare officers for job demands.
  • Designing rehabilitation protocols to address occupational stress and injury recovery.
  • Implementing monitoring strategies to ensure officer health and performance sustainability.
• This study provides foundational data to support improved training, health, and operational performance for mounted police officers.