Identification of Management Challenges in Police Units during the COVID-19 Pandemic: A Case Study of the Special Police Command in Western Tehran Province

Ensuring societal order and security in crisis and non-normal conditions poses challenges to organizations responsible for it. Law enforcement command is one of the organizations that, according to its legal duties and organizational missions, was required to continue the services provided under pre-COVID-19 conditions during the COVID-19 pandemic, which reduced unit capacity and posed qualitative and quantitative challenges to law enforcement services. The aim of this study was to investigate and study the management challenges of law enforcement units during the COVID-19 pandemic in the Special Law Enforcement Command of Western Tehran Province. This research, in terms of objective, is applied research, and in terms of method of execution and data collection, is qualitative. For data collection, a semi-structured interview tool was used. The participants in the research were selected from among the commanders and managers of law enforcement in the Special Law Enforcement Command of Western Tehran Province, who had managerial experience in provincial law enforcement affairs during the spread and pandemic of the COVID-19 virus. Fourteen individuals were selected through purposive sampling based on theoretical saturation approach. The texts of the interviews were coded, and then the data were analyzed and interpreted using content analysis method. Based on the responses of the participants in the research, a total of 38 internal organizational challenges and 17 external organizational challenges in the management of law enforcement units during the COVID-19 pandemic were identified in the Special Law Enforcement Command of Western Tehran Province. The results showed that the most fundamental management challenges of law enforcement units during the COVID-19 pandemic are related to the areas of human resources, equipment and facilities, organizational structure and missions, as well as weaknesses in inter-organizational cooperation and coordination in the implementation of COVID-19 specific guidelines. It is necessary for the overall law enforcement command and the law enforcement of Western Tehran Province to adopt more appropriate and precise planning for managing law enforcement units in similar COVID-19 situations and to systematically pursue interaction and coordination with other organizations.