Line Managers Need Suicide Prevention Training

There needs to be more suicide prevention training for line managers, Hampshire Police Federation has said, as Oscar Kilo launches a national suicide action plan.

The plan from Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, aims to educate and support the police workforce, reduce stress, and improve data recording. It has also announced a 24/7 mental health crisis line, which is being piloted in police forces across the North East.

Hampshire Police Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield said: “Suicide is one of the biggest, if not the biggest, cause of death among police officers. There’s clearly a lot more that needs to be done. There’s still a stigma around poor mental health, in society as well as in the police.

“There also needs to be more training for line managers in picking up on when somebody is struggling. Not just thinking: ‘Oh, they’re a bit quiet today’, but actually going over to them and having a proper conversation, asking: ‘Come on, what’s going on? You’re not yourself’.

“There are a lot of people who are suffering in silence, and if somebody did take the time to go and have that chat with them, they may well be able to access some help.

“For some people, it’s not that they necessarily want to end their life, but they want to end the pain that they’re in and they can’t see a way out of that situation. When we’ve got officers who are going to really traumatic incidents, they need to be given the right support so that they can talk about how they’re feeling.

“Some people don’t want to have that difficult conversation. But there could be more support and guidance for line managers to let them know their options when their officers have mental health difficulties. Then they would feel more confident about having that conversation in the first place.”