Mental Health Must Be Front And Centre For Policing

THERE is no catch all solution to improving officers’ mental health, says Essex Police Federation.

In Essex, new figures show that 253 officers had to take time off with stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD symptoms in the past year. Across England and Wales, more than 10,500 officers have been off work – that’s a 69% rise since 2012/13.

Essex Police Federation Chairman Steve Taylor said it is a challenging issue given that how officers respond to workload, stress and trauma can be unique to them.

He said: “Mental illness is unique to each of us, and what affects me in a negative sense, and what affects my mental health negatively, might not affect someone else.

“So, the bespoke nature of mental health means there are always going to be some that suffer more than others.

“But what’s really important is that we acknowledge areas of commonality in mental health, we acknowledge some of those stressors which are acknowledged to negatively affect mental health, and we do what we can about those so that when other elements come to light that are perhaps a bit more unique to the individual, we can deal with those unique things rather than the general things.

“For some, workload is going to be an issue. Simply saying, ‘Other people can cope with it, why can’t you?’, is a negative mindset. We need to remove when it comes to mental health. We need to understand why you, the individual, are struggling with that particular workload, while at the same time acknowledging what can we do about the workload.”

Steve hopes that Essex officers know they have resources and outlets to turn to should they be struggling to cope. And he hopes its something colleagues will recognise in each other.

He added: “More can always be done. I like to think we are well-known for seeking an open, transparent dialogue around mental health. It’s not a dirty word. Improving the mental health of our colleagues is something that we all play a part in. It’s not something that should be allowed to live on in the shadows as, historically, it has done.

“We need to confront it. It needs to be front and centre, and with that in mind there is always more that we can do but we’re in a relatively strong place in Essex with the ‘Live Well, Feel Well’ campaign.

“You only see it in each other if you’re open and you’re frank around it.”