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.<\/p>\n
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 \u2013 these have been coded to create a system to identify and manage trauma.<\/p>\n
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.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cWe talk to officers about PTSD, the stress within policing and trauma that they deal with \u2013 we know how much trauma police officers, frontline police officers especially, face. But there\u2019s still no recognition in the wider world of what a massive effect that has on people.<\/p>\n
\u201cI see experienced police officers who are perceived to be steady and don\u2019t let anything get to them breaking after 20 or even 25 years in the job.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe do have the TRiM service within the force, which is a good first step as well. But it\u2019s not always used appropriately. Sometimes the force can use it as a bit of a, \u2018Well, these officers have had TRiM. That\u2019s a tick box done\u2019, when that\u2019s not always the case.<\/p>\n
\u201cI do think there needs to be almost the equivalent of Op Hampshire \u2013 that level of intrusion and awareness \u2013 going forward. So it\u2019s good, we need it, but it needs to be properly imprinted and agreed by all Chief Constables.\u201d<\/p>\n