ESSEX Police officers are being urged by their Federation to get as much rest as they can between shifts to combat the stresses and strains of the job.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Worrying new survey results from the Oscar Kilo welfare programme show 67% of officers say they suffer from PTSD symptoms.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Nearly half also say they have trouble sleeping and get less than six hours of shut-eye every night.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
It\u2019s creating a welfare and mental health cyclone, potentially harming officers\u2019 physical and mental health.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
And while family commitments and having the job on your mind 24\/7 can mean it\u2019s hard to switch off, officers must try and relax when they can, Essex Police Federation says.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s difficult because all the areas knock-on to each other. Mental health is a massive part of life and how that\u2019s managed and also how that\u2019s recognised,\u201d said Essex Police Federation Chair Laura Heggie.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cI know that the Essex force is doing a lot. They\u2019ve put on virtual wellbeing sessions run by our occupational health which have been really, well received. If people are suffering from their mental health, that also then affects their sleep pattern. If they\u2019re not sleeping properly, then they will feel fatigued.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIt means they can\u2019t perform properly when they\u2019re at work. It means that they\u2019re distracted. There are so many things, and it\u2019s trying to find that balance, which is always difficult when you\u2019re a shift worker anyway.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cHaving done shift work myself for 27 years, I never realised until coming into the Federation role, and people that I used to bump into say how much better I looked just because I had a regular sleep pattern, I was eating meals at a regular time. I was eating proper meals and not takeaways,\u201d Laura said.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cAll of that you don\u2019t realise how much it adds up and how much of a toll it takes on you and your body, which also knocks onto how you are around other people as well.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Trying to be as self-aware as possible about their mental health is so important for officers.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cWe all come to work, and everyone goes on auto-pilot because work is your normal, but it\u2019s then trying to identify when that normal isn\u2019t normal.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cThere\u2019s other stuff going on in your life which your normal is then hiding, and then that starts to build up, which then inevitably affects your work.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIt\u2019s recognising indicators within yourself and then understanding your coping mechanisms of how to deal with them,Its important that officers know it\u2019s ok to not be ok,\u201d Laura said.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
Officers need to rest whenever they can.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cI would advise they don\u2019t try and fit everything in before a nightshift. I know that some officers will try and get some sleep before going on nights, to refresh them.\u201d Laura said.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cIt doesn\u2019t work for everybody, but it is trying to ensure that you\u2019re not in too many places at the same time.<\/u><\/u><\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers have to make sure they take the time to rest and to recoup.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"