ABSTRACT

The objective of this study is to determine the prevalence, forms, causes and impacts of the workplace violence directed towards the municipal police officers by the citizens. To reach this goal, a survey was applied to 500 municipal police officers employed in 9 municipalities located in the cities of Ankara, İzmir and Muğla. Also, the oral interviews were conducted in depth with a total of 22 people including the victims, managers and representatives of the labor organizations. The results indicate that, during the course of their professional life, 52,2 % of the municipal police officers have been exposed to physical violence, 68,2 % to verbal abuse and threat and 4.4% to sexual harassment. In a consequence of the physical violence, 43.6 % of the victims were injured and 82.7 % of the participants witnessed their colleagues injured. In addition, 79,6% and 81,8% of the municipal police officers find their occupation hazardous in terms of physical violence and verbal abuse as well as threat, respectively. The workplace violence results in decline in the efficiency, performance, job involvement, job satisfaction and motivation of the municipal policers, while at the same time, causing anger, resentment, anxiety, insecurity, fear, depression and complaints such as headaches to the victims. The results obtained from the survey and interviews were discussed and interpreted in a number of ways by taking into account the current literature as well. According to the results of this study, which is uniquely the first in the field, the workplace violence dramatically threathens the municipal police officers in numerous ways. Therefore, the work place violence should be accepted as an occupational health and safety hazard for the municipal officers and it was also suggested that legal and admistrative precautionary measures should be taken as soon as possible