The effects of traumatic events, on the effective functioning of Police officers in Thohoyandou, Limpopo, South Africa

Abstract

This study was about the effects of traumatic events on the effective functioning of police officers at Thohoyandou SAPS, Limpopo province, South Africa. The aim of the study was to explore the effects of traumatic events on the effective functioning of police officers at Thohoyandou SAPS, Limpopo province, South Africa. The study was qualitative in nature and used non-probability sampling. The subtype sampling method was purposive sampling. The study population was SAPS members in the Vhembe District, Thohoyandou and the study sample size was 10 SAPS members from Thohoyandou SAPS that was determined by data saturation. Data was collected using semi-structured interviews and the data collection instrument was an interview guide. Furthermore, the study used exploratory research design to conduct the study and used interpretative phenomenology analysis to analyse the collected data. The study findings indicate that most SAPS members are suffering from psychological problems such as trauma and PTSD. The study recommended that SAPS members be subjected to debriefing and psychological counselling when they encounter traumatic incidents while on duty.