Workload and job satisfaction at the Dutch police

SEOR has studied the factors leading to work overload or underload of Dutch police personnel. The study looked at three different function groups within the police force: team managers, community police officers and "Housing, Services and Resources" employees. The following research questions were adressed:

1. How does existing scientific literature inform us about factors that contribute to work overload and underload of police personnel? 
2. What factors in Dutch police practice lead to work overload and underload for police personnel in the selected function groups? 
3. In what context do these factors occur? 
4. What consequences are associated with overload and underload? 
5. Which possible solutions exist to optimize the workload of police personnel in these function groups, in the sense that the workload is better aligned with the burden that may be expected based on the job description?

The study shows that the problem of work overload is mainly present for team managers and community police officers. All three function groups mention red tape as the main cause of work overload. Another cause that is mentioned often is having to spend a lot of time on tasks not in their job description. Furthermore, insufficient support by the service center (PDC) is believed to be a problem by all three groups.