Police Trauma Needs To Be Measured And Taken Seriously

A POLICE Traumatic Event Checklist is a step forward in measuring the amount of trauma officers are exposed to and helping them before they break, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

The checklist is currently being developed by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) and Police Care UK, in conjunction with Cambridge University. More than 1,500 officers and staff reported their worst incidents on the job – these have been coded to create a system to identify and manage trauma.

One in five police officers currently has either Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or Complex Post Traumatic Stress Disorder, but there is currently no consistent way to measure trauma exposure in UK policing.

South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: “We talk to officers about PTSD, the stress within policing and trauma that they deal with – we know how much trauma police officers, frontline police officers especially, face. But there’s still no recognition in the wider world of what a massive effect that has on people.

“I see experienced police officers who are perceived to be steady and don’t let anything get to them breaking after 20 or even 25 years in the job.

“We do have the TRiM service within the force, which is a good first step as well. But it’s not always used appropriately. Sometimes the force can use it as a bit of a, ‘Well, these officers have had TRiM. That’s a tick box done’, when that’s not always the case.

“I do think there needs to be almost the equivalent of Op Hampshire – that level of intrusion and awareness – going forward. So it’s good, we need it, but it needs to be properly imprinted and agreed by all Chief Constables.”