24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line Piloted For Officers

Police officers who are struggling with their mental health need to talk to someone who understands the pressures of policing, Hampshire Police Federation has said.

Chair Zoë Wakefield was talking as Oscar Kilo launched a new 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line, initially in the North East region. It will offer immediate, confidential and expert support to officers who are struggling.

Zoë said she hoped it would soon be rolled out nationally: “I think this will make a huge difference, if people know they’ve got someone they can go to, someone who understands policing.

“We hear a lot that somebody’s phoned up a support line and the person just doesn’t understand policing. They would say: ‘Can you just not go to those traumatic incidents?’. But no, it doesn’t work like that.

“So it’s good if we’ve got a police-specific helpline where the person at the other end of the phone has some understanding of why the officer is in the position they’re in. They need to have empathy and be non-judgemental.”