PSNI Must Confront Officer Wellbeing Challenge

OFFICER wellbeing and morale in Northern Ireland is a challenge which must be confronted without delay, Northern Ireland Police Federation Chair Mark Lindsay has warned.

Speaking at the Federation’s Annual Conference in Belfast, Mark (pictured) said that while the organisation’s Wellbeing Project had returned some ‘heartening’ results, it also underlined the need to help and intervene when officers are suffering.

He also called for everyone concerned with policing to ‘get real’ about the problem of officer assaults and shared statistics revealing that 626 PSNI officers were assaulted last year.

“We all acknowledge the simple fact that we have a problem [on welfare] and it’s a challenge we must confront,” he told conference delegates.

“Recently, Police Care UK commissioned the University of Cambridge to carry out research and the results confirmed our worst fears.

“The survey found that 90% of those employed in policing in the United Kingdom were exposed to trauma. One in five of these reported symptoms of PTSD.

“From our own workforce survey, PSNI officers scored lower for mental health wellbeing relative to the Northern Ireland population.”

A new Federation survey has also revealed that morale among officers has been affected by the ongoing delay in pay awards, with a delay for a third year ‘likely’.

The survey also offered a glimpse into the sheer pressure officers are under, with 59% saying they felt unable to meet the conflicting demands on their time.

However, the Federation’s £1m Wellbeing initiative has been well received by members, Mark added, and that it had filled a void in mental health provision.

“Preventative measures, early intervention and individual support are key goals,” he said.

“But we must also see improvements in workplace wellbeing which show that it is okay not to be okay. Immediate action is required on the big issues – issues of workforce size, resilience, demand and adequate rest and recuperation.

“Our people, who suffer from conditions such as PTSD, need to know the help is there and will be delivered in a timely, professional and caring manner without the excruciating stranglehold of bureaucracy.”

Mark wants courts to start handing down sentences to provide a proper deterrent against officer assaults.

“All of us have to get real about this problem. It’s no longer good enough to say, ‘it’s just part of the job’ – it’s not part of the job to have broken bones, a detached retina, nightmares or PTSD,” he said.

“The only effective way of dealing with this appalling problem is for the courts to hand down realistic sentences to people who assault police officers.

“Sentences must serve as a deterrent. Make the would-be attacker think twice. Make him, or her, realise that a minimum jail term is the most likely outcome.

“For too long, police officers perceive that the courts have been far too lenient with offenders. It’s time to give police officers the protection they deserve. That’s the very least society can deliver for the people who go the extra mile to protect them.”