Many people assume that there is a connection between good physical fitness and stress management, but relatively few studies have been conducted internationally and very few nationally. In the studies, we have tested physical fitness through a treadmill test, and then the experiment is carried out where they have to solve a mission. All participants belong to groups in the Norwegian police that are selected for physical fitness to varying degrees. In studies 1 and 2, the stress impact is moderate and the task is solved alone, while study 3 involves solving a very complex mission that is designed to cause high stress impact in a team of 3-4 people. The stress impact is measured through a heart rate belt and measuring vest. After the task has been solved, an oral/written interview is conducted where the participants must account for assessments and use of force along the way. This provides insight into how they think and reason about their own action patterns, threat management and use of force.
In recent years, there has been a lot of attention in the media related to the police's use of force against mentally ill people. This topic has also been little researched. This is investigated in two of the studies, by looking at both how the assignment is solved and what the participants themselves say about their assessment and decision-making processes. This allows us to assess whether time use, use of force and decision-making processes are affected in missions concerning people with mental illness, and if so, in what way: Is shorter or longer time used, more or less force used, and are the decisions characterized by prejudices/attitudes or based on the here-and-now situation?
