“Mental health is front and centre of our work”

THE stresses and strains of being a police officer can take their toll, sometimes tragically leading to them taking their own lives.

Preventing suicides and tackling mental health in the force remains a huge question which Federations across England and Wales are taking very seriously.

Essex Police Federation says it’s putting the issue front and centre.

“It’s a big issue and mental health awareness is something that we’re acutely aware of here in Essex having lost a colleague in recent years to mental health,” Federation Chairman Steve Taylor said.

“It’s been at the forefront of our work for a while and I think that puts us in a strong place.

“Mental health is not a dirty word and we work hard to support that position with training for managers, Live Well Feel Well courses available for officers and managers and supervisors, and things like that. There’s always more to do in this area and it’s a complex problem.

“So, we have to keep doing what we’re doing, keep having those open conversations, bringing mental health out from the shadows so that ultimately it’s treated the same as a physical injury, a visible, physical injury,” he said.

It’s important the Federation acts as a ‘critical friend’ of the force, he added, to ensure that any programmes tackling the issue deliver what they need to for officers.

“We work really hard in the Federation not to allow the force to divorce itself from its welfare responsibilities.

“When it comes to misconduct, when it comes to unsatisfactory performance, when it comes to post-incident procedure. In all of these areas the force leads on the welfare of its officers, and we take the position as critical friend to the force in that role really seriously.

“It’s positive place to be and long may it continue in Essex,” he said.