A survey on risk - taking behavior of police officers working in public security services

Civil wars and conflicts in close geographical environment of Turkey, internal security threats posed by terrorism and public order offenses, cause police officers to work under severe levels of risk. Police officers, working under constant risk and exposure to danger, should be studied in terms of decision making, risk-taking, risk aversion, danger habituation and sensation seeking. Police behaivor in decision making context increases importance when danger becomes chronic. Police need to establish a balance between human rights and state security when working. Increased risk-taking may result in unwarrented limitation on principle rights and freedoms while excessive risk aversion cause weakness in security. The spatial environment of the security services offered by public order police is defined by the physical world used by the whole society. Thus, workplace of a public order police covers other people's social life. This makes police vulnerable to offenses and dangers that may target him. In this study, police officers working at Public Security Branch Office and various Police Stations in Zonguldak city center are evaluated in terms of risk taking, danger habituation and sensation seeking behaviors.