Factors Influencing Marksmanship in Police Officers: A Narrative Review

Vini Simas, Ben Schram, Elisa F. D. Canetti, Danny Maupin and Robin Orr ()
Additional contact information
Vini Simas: Tactical Research Unit, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
Ben Schram: Tactical Research Unit, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
Elisa F. D. Canetti: Tactical Research Unit, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
Danny Maupin: Tactical Research Unit, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia
Robin Orr: Tactical Research Unit, Bond Institute of Health and Sport, Bond University, Robina, QLD 4226, Australia

IJERPH, 2022, vol. 19, issue 21, 1-19

Abstract: Law enforcement officers routinely face unpredictable scenarios that may threaten the public, their colleagues, or themselves. In such situations, officers may be required to use firearms, with shooting accuracy becoming crucial. This literature review aimed to identify, synthesize, and report on research investigating factors that affect marksmanship in law enforcement personnel. A systematic search of seven databases was undertaken following the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analysis (PRISMA) approach. From an initial 5396 identified studies, 23 met the eligibility criteria. The key findings from these papers were: (1) physical exertion does not appear to decrease shooting performance, especially at close range (<10 m); (2) tactical load carriage does not appear to decrease shooting performance; in fact, it has been reported by officers as improving performance (likely due to training specificity); (3) the physical capability of officers may be of importance, notably grip strength, which the volume of evidence suggests is positively correlated with marksmanship; (4) anxiety imparted through high-stress scenarios negatively impacts shooting performance, but training under stress may counteract this factor, albeit for a short period. Together, these factors appear to have a trainability component where increased specific and realistic training can improve shooting accuracy, time, and precision, especially in high-stress situations.

Keywords: shooting accuracy; law enforcement personnel; grip strength; load carriage (search for similar items in EconPapers)
JEL-codes: I I1 I3 Q Q5 (search for similar items in EconPapers)
Date: 2022
References: View references in EconPapers View complete reference list from CitEc
Citations: View citations in EconPapers (2)

Downloads: (external link)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/21/14236/pdf (application/pdf)
https://www.mdpi.com/1660-4601/19/21/14236/ (text/html)

Related works:
This item may be available elsewhere in EconPapers: Search for items with the same title.

Export reference: BibTeX RIS (EndNote, ProCite, RefMan) HTML/Text

Persistent link: https://EconPapers.repec.org/RePEc:gam:jijerp:v:19:y:2022:i:21:p:14236-:d:958861

Access Statistics for this article

IJERPH is currently edited by Ms. Jenna Liu

More articles in IJERPH from MDPI
Bibliographic data for series maintained by MDPI Indexing Manager ().