Being bullied at work is never easy, but the consequences for targets in the emergency services is particularly stressful as social life is often intertwined with working life and the possibilities for alternative employment are limited, especially if the target wishes to remain in the same occupation.

The articles draw links between bullying and harassment and stress and its associated problems, and provide explanations as to why Force Policies dictating a zero tolerance to bullying might fail to impact traditional work ethics and procedures. Links were drawn between police culture and the prevalence rates of bullying indicated by research. Attention is drawn to the potential problems represented by modernisation and the increased recruitment of non-sworn officers and staff covering traditional police roles.