Profiling the routine tasks of police officers

Research regarding police routine tasks has focused on the general nature and frequency of physical activities performed during these tasks. While this information is valuable, it does not actually define the specific police tasks that are routinely conducted, and the proportions of officer time spent undertaking each specific type of occupational task. For example, it is unclear exactly what occupational tasks police undertake in the time they are reported to spend in standing or sitting positions, either at their desk or in patrol vehicles. The aim of this study was to profile the routine tasks performed by law enforcement officers of an Australian state police force by frequency and duration.