So this week Channel 4 ran their article detailing the investigation into the number of officers and staff we have lost by suicide over the last 3 years in the UK police service.

100+

Yes you saw that right 100 officers and staff died by suicide in that short period.

One every 10 days!

And this is based on inaccurate unrecorded figures as most forces simply do not record them.

By a large majority these are mostly male. This week it’s a 23 year old. Last year it was a retired CC. Women are of course not immune from the crisis.

Let me tell you something about police officers.

They are some of the bravest, compassionate, resilient, competent, professional people I have ever known and I am honoured to have worked with them.

They join the police service to do good; to look after the most vulnerable in our society; “to catch the bad guys and look after the good ones”; to keep you safe whilst you go about your daily business.

I still fervently support the British Police Service as amongst the best in the world despite all the recent challenges. I still actively coach and mentor those wishing to join as a new recruit or those wishing to get promoted.

But what has gone so wrong? Why do so many feel that suicide is the only way out? I know that Trojan Wellbeing instigated the programme and link it to investigations against officers, and this is a part, but I genuinely believe there is so much more.

This is not an exhaustive list at all but challenges for police officers include:

Increased and ever changing workload

Less resources – police officers, police staff and physical resource availability such as buildings, vehicles, lockers, kit, equipment.

The need to cover for public sector partners who aren’t available

A government who simply does not care (not a labour/conservative issue but an entirety of politics issue) And not only do they not care. They actively go out of their way to demonise police as it’s the easiest financial reduction they can make, whilst retaining public support for themselves.

Media that quote simply does what the government wants, or fuels the increasingly divided population of the UK by extreme misleading and often false headlines.

AI and the ever challenging video/photography purported to be genuine when it is edited or falsified and shared to create more division.

Social media 😡

Rotten police officers – the incredibly small minority who are rooted out by the good ones. And I am talking of less than 1/2%.

All of the above leading to a lack of trust and confidence by the public in their police service creating tension in every interaction.

An increased lawlessness. Created by austerity, reduced officer, reduced capability, increased expectations, increased number of crime of all types and so on.

A complete lack of leadership training for all below the rank of ACC. – Worthy of a dissertation!

A complete lack of wellbeing provision (Oscar Kilo finally just succeeded in obtaining funding for a 24 hr mental health helpline).

A complete disparity between wellbeing words and wellbeing action.

Overworked, under-resourced Occupational Health Units who all have compassion fatigue. AND where 80% of the budget is reserved for physical injury and only 20% for mental health.

Disproportionate internal investigations in terms of time, quality, and care for those affected – both victims and those under investigation.

Continuous and relentless pressure with no breaks, no time to decompress, no time to rest and pause, no time to reflect.

Is it any wonder our officers and staff break?

To the public this looks like a reduced public service. Less officers, less police resources, less capability, officers leaving in droves, crimes not being attended, calls not being answered. And the cost! This is not my priority but it is the priority of senior leaders and the government. No one has ever been able to inform the true cost of recruiting an officer and taking them through their 2/3 year probation. I estimate it's around £250,000. And yet officers are leaving in their first 5 years. As many as 30% in some forces

Officers pay into a range of police charities to support themselves. The list of those charities is growing as people recognise the need to support our officers where their employers – the government – has failed. I’m a trustee of just one http://www.thinbluelineuk.org.uk but there are so many more. These charities are generally set up by other officers who see the need for such help and support.

TBLUK have been funding an NHS approved app with 24 hr support for a few years now and the data from that demonstrates lives have been saved as a a direct result. This is itself is a demonstration of the fact officers still not only don’t have access to the support they need quickly enough within forces, but that they still don’t trust the confidentiality and capability of that support. – I really do hope Oscar Kilo can change that and it can’t have a better leader thats for sure in Andy Rhodes.

But when an officer attends work the morning after attempting to take their own life and the response from their Inspector is “That’s silly, don’t do that again” ; or when an officer who has worked in the highest pressure role they were previously lauded for, is told by an OHU caseworker it will be months before they upload the decision for a medical health retirement for PTSD, we have got something seriously wrong.

So is this a critical incident? – I believe so.

….”any incident where the effectiveness of the police response is likely to have a significant impact on the confidence of the victim, their family or the wider community”

If I was still working as a Supt in policing and one company had a death of an employee every 10 days…… it would without doubt be classed as a Critical Incident. HSE, the police, the coroner would all be involved, and yet in policing, we say some gentle words about the person, support the family in the background and then move on.

I don’t know about you but I am losing confidence in the government, PCCs and some CCs to stem this flow of suicides (and early resignations). I do not believe that most Chief Constables don’t care. I have worked alongside many of them and know they feel the loss of officers as much as anyone and often feel guilt even when there is nothing they could have done to prevent it. They feel the pain of austerity. They know we are not looking after the public or the people working within the police as well as we should be. I genuinely believe that we are recruiting some of the best people to those top jobs. But if ever was a time to step up and be counted, to act instead of say nice words – this is it!

If this is a critical incident – Where is the gold command? The immediate action plan? The partner involvement? The senior investigators? Where is the prevention plan for the future?

So now I appeal to the NPCC, the APCC, the current government, the latest in a long line of Home Secretaries and Police Ministers – ACT NOW. Because people are dying on your watch. Families are being left without parents, partners, children. Colleagues are being left to pick up the pieces. The public are suffering from all that is happening.

If you are suffering right now, please reach out to a trusted colleague, friend or family member or reach out to one of the many charities. If you are someone reading this wondering what to do, please reach out and ask someone if they are OK. Really OK though or do something to help one of the charities below.

Above all – Take Care of YOU!

A non exhaustive list of available support...

• Oscar Kilo 24 hr mental health line 0300 131 2789
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• Thin BlueLine UK
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• Trojan Wellbeing
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• Police Care UK
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• Call4BackUp
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• PFOA

... and many more.