Officers In Crisis Urged To Contact Federation

POLICE officers who are in crisis or contemplating suicide have been asked to contact South Yorkshire Police Federation. 

More police officers die by suicide every year than are killed on duty, and there is help out there to support colleagues who find themselves in a dark place. 

Steve Kent, Federation Chair, said he had sadly dealt with “too many” suicides since he’s been in the role: “We are really aware of it and it happens way too often. It’s the most heartbreaking thing to deal with. 

Levels of PTSD and stress are higher in the police service than most other professions, and the demands of the job can have a significant impact on mental health. 

Steve added: “As a Federation, we would say to people; Reach out, speak to your colleagues. Look out for each other. Speak to a fed rep. Ring the office. We have got things we can put in place. And we do.

“When people come to us with real concerns about their officers, as well as the force obligation on welfare, we do put things in place to try and get them to see somebody quickly, or try and help them out quickly. So it’s just a case of reaching out, or reaching out on somebody else’s behalf.”