SYPF Chairman: Officers are under unprecedented strain, so welfare support is so important

NEW data has revealed that the PFEW’s Welfare Support Programme has helped more 20,000 officers and prevented five suicides since it began in 2012.

South Yorkshire Police Federation says the programme is sadly needed because of the increasing ‘unprecedented’ strain officers are put under every day.

Chairman Steve Kent says colleagues’ workloads are mounting up and that the drip effect of dealing with trauma can take a toll on officers’ mental wellbeing.

“Officers at the minute are under unbelievable and unprecedented strain”, he said.

“The workloads are incredible, and obviously there’s the fact that officers see horrendous things.

“It’s massively important that the counselling service is available, and it needs to be something that grows.

“As a Federation in South Yorkshire, we offer, through our group insurance scheme, bespoke counselling for officers, mainly for stuff with their personal lives, for them to receive the help that they need, and obviously we also have the Red Arc telephone service which is available 24/7 to officers.”

Steve wants to see whichever Government is in power post the general election properly fund officer health and welfare programmes.

“There also needs to be specific Government funding so that forces can actually employ a significant uplift of counsellors who can be there to provide that service,” he said.

“Ultimately, what I want to see is that officers on the frontline and dealing with sensitive matters have an annual half an hour chat just with a counsellor to see if everything’s okay.

“If officers feel they don’t need, they can opt-out of it, but I think it should be offered to officers as a matter of course.”