Officers Urged To Seek Help With Mental Health

POLICE officers who are struggling with their mental health should be encouraged to seek help, Hampshire Police Federation has said.

Federation Chair Zoë Wakefield was speaking as a new nationwide study of more than 12,000 police officers was published, suggesting rates of trauma-related mental disorders are “exacerbated by poor working conditions”, such as too little time and a lack of support dealing with difficult situations.

The study, led by the University of Cambridge, linked these issues to high levels of PTSD and complex PTSD among police officers. Previous surveys have suggested that one in five officers suffers from PTSD.

Zoë said: “Mental ill-health is a growing problem in policing and it’s made even worse by the financial issues that people are going to be facing. The force does offer lots of support, but there is a lot more they could do.

“The force runs a course called ‘PPE for the mind’, which is all about building your mental resilience and how to deal with tough times and negative thoughts.

“We’ve also got access through the Police Federation to the Welfare Support Programme, and we offer floatation therapy, which is really good for people who are stressed and struggling. I’d urge officers: do not struggle on your own, please ask for help because we can support you.”