Helping Officers Cope With Stresses Of Coronavirus

PLANS are in place to help police officers cope with the trauma of dealing with any increase in sudden deaths from COVID-19 in Essex.

Essex Police Federation has said that plans for additional support and welfare will be activated if continued exposure to sudden traumatic deaths take their toll on officers’ mental health, especially as they are often involved in dealing with the deceased.

Chairman Steve Taylor said: “The sudden deaths that we’ve been dealing with, we’ve been dealing with them the same way we would any other sudden death.

“To date, there’s nothing new in regards how we’re dealing with members of the community that die.

“There are plans in place if we have to escalate to something more befitting of the crisis, but those haven’t been activated yet, and are being worked up and finessed, so they do have an additional layer of welfare and support through the Fed, the organisation, and the Trauma Risk Incident Management group.

“So that’s in place if it has to be activated, but as of now we’re dealing with sudden death the same way we always have, just with the extra reassurance of the PPE.”

The Police Federation of England and Wales has released a new video offering expert advice and techniques on how to deal with the mental health pressures the pandemic is bringing to bear on frontline officers.

The video features Dr Jess Miller, a Neuropsychologist at Police Care UK and the University of Cambridge, and includes various techniques that officers can try to help them cope with traumatic situations. It also encourages officers to be open and honest with their line managers.

To see the video visit: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=JcLo2qKcNxA&feature=emb_title