Wellbeing

OPINION: Canadian policing faces a challenging contradiction around its response to mental illness, according to new research by Brandon University’s Professor Christopher J. Schneider and Assistant Professor Ania Theuer, and Professor Stacey Hannem of Wilfrid Laurier University, who argue that law enforcement’s framing of officers’ mental health struggles as “occupational stress injuries” contrasts sharply with the stigmatizing approach to the risks posed by mentally ill members of the public.

FEATURE: An update on Police Scotland’s Policing Together programme, launched in 2021 to deliver “long-term tangible impact” on a wide variety of equality and diversity issues, reveals improvements on a range of inclusivity and community representation measures, higher levels of satisfaction with police-public interactions, and reduction in the use of force, officer injuries and complaints, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

ANALYSIS: In the first in a series of articles on male officer mental health in policing, accredited psychological therapist Dr Rachel Rogers looks at what happens when emotional responses to extraordinary events and stresses become regarded as “normal”, and how the gap between the reality of policing and the systems designed to support it result in a culture where “resilience is expected but rarely resourced”, while help often arrives late and can feel disciplinary.

INTERVIEW: Since Krissy Barrett’s appointment last month as Commissioner of the Australian Federal Police (AFP), she has been setting out some of the challenges facing the organisation in the current policing landscape; she recently spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about her aims for leading the force to meet the evolving threats, the AFP’s unique technical and collaborative capabilities, and her ambition to ensure the AFP is “the best police agency in the world to work in”.

OPINION: Previous surveys by the Police Federation of England and Wales revealed the impact on female officers of experiencing the menopause while working in policing, and the scale of the problem; now new research by PC Beverley Beck of Dorset Police has highlighted how the institutional neglect of menopause contributes to the early exit of talented and experienced female officers, as well as the good practice underway in some forces to address the issues and support officers.

INTERVIEW: With policing in many countries increasingly acknowledging the damage to officer wellbeing from “toxic leadership” and “sanctuary trauma”, Laura Kloosterman, Executive Director of independent peer support charity Badge of Life Canada spoke to Policing Insight’s Matthew Wood about the toll of organisational stress, the importance of peer support being provided by an outside agency, and why the focus on both leadership and wellness should start early in an officer’s career.

ADVERTISEMENT FEATURE: The University of Bristol is leading a major research study examining sexual misconduct and abuse by high-trust professionals, including police officers. Police professionals are now invited to contribute to this important work.

INTERVIEW: As the College of Policing launches new guidance for professional reviews, Chief Constable Sir Andy Marsh spoke to Policing Insight’s Ian Weinfass about the importance of regular dialogue with line managers, including how his own helped him stay in the job during a battle against cancer.

INSIGHT: The Australia New Zealand Principles for Mental Health and Wellbeing in Policing, published recently by the Australia New Zealand Policing Advisory Agency (ANZPAA), embrace “collaboration, evidence-informed practice, and shared accountability” to provide an actionable, proactive framework for a “modern, resilient, and mentally healthy policing environment”, as ANZPAA Assistant Director of Policy and Projects Jacqueline Durand explains.

FEATURE: The latest review of Queensland Police Service watch-houses – buildings designed to offer temporary accommodation for prisoners before transfer to prison or court – has highlighted increased stress and injury for staff due to poor working conditions, and facilities in widespread disrepair leading to damaging impacts on the health and wellbeing of detainees, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

PSA CONFERENCE: Recent research among superintending ranks in England and Wales has highlighted worrying levels of poor psychological wellbeing and increasing mental health sick leave; but Police Superintendents’ Association President, Superintendent Nick Smart, warns that while good welfare provision should be the norm, the continuing “austerity” levels of funding mean that support is a “postcode lottery” and the lack of resources is adding to already unmanageable workloads, as Policing Insight’s Keith Potter reports.

INTERVIEW: The ‘Breaking The Monopoly’ movement is challenging the Police Act 1996 in England and Wales, with campaigners arguing that the current law grants the Police Federation of England & Wales a monopoly on police representation, hindering officers from establishing or joining other representative bodies; as the campaign seeks a declaration that the legislation violates the European Convention on Human Rights, Policing Insight’s Martin Buhagiar spoke to Greater Manchester Police PC Lee Broadbent, who is leading the charge.

FEATURE: A trauma peer support (TPS) programme originally launched for officers and staff working in detention areas across the Metropolitan Police has seen more than 3,000 employees trained to deliver support to colleagues, and could now be expanded into other policing roles within the Met as well as to other forces, as former officer and TPS trainer Russell Hughes explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

ANALYSIS: With an increasing focus on the impact of organisational stress on police officers, University of Cambridge researcher Dr Susannah Hickie explored the perceptions of Police Service of Northern Ireland officers of the formal mental health support available to them, and found that many viewed such provision as inaccessible, highlighting issues such as the repercussions of seeking support, the associated stigma, and a ‘tick-box’ culture as the main barriers.

INNOVATION: The results of a pilot study of wearable wellbeing technology used by new police recruits has highlighted significant positive lifestyle changes among those who used the new tech, along with better sleep patterns, more resilience, and a reduction in the number of young-in-service officers considering leaving the job, as Professor Carol Cox of Liverpool John Moores University explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

INTERVIEW: The latest wellbeing survey of police officers in England and Wales has been labelled a “wake-up call” by Andy Rhodes, Service Director at Oscar Kilo, the National Police Wellbeing Service, who told Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons that the police service is on “borrowed time” when it comes to officer attrition through exhaustion and fatigue, and warned that policing “can’t keep pushing the pedal harder”.

ANALYSIS: Police wellbeing is increasingly a matter for serious concern in the UK, highlighted most recently by the results of the National Police Wellbeing Survey; Dr Ashley Cartwright and PhD Researcher Ellie Hutchison of the University of Huddersfield’s Crime and Policing Research Centre believe new research into individuals’ character strengths could lead to an evidence-based interventions programme that will proactively build psychological resources to help shape a healthier, more resilient police service.

INTERVIEW: Following the recent launch of a new Mental Health Crisis Line offering around the clock support to police officers and staff in England and Wales who are experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts, Andy Rhodes – Service Director for Oscar Kilo, which has commissioned the service – spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the reasons behind the launch, how the line will operate, and why he was “worried but proud” to do something positive about saving lives.

ANALYSIS: New research among officers from Australia, New Zealand, and England and Wales has highlighted the “alarming” levels of PTSD and poor mental health, and called for a more holistic approach to wellbeing, with training for managers and leaders in providing better support for officers; research co-author Dr Alan Beckley spoke to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons about the challenges around the internal culture of policing, and the need for “empathetic and caring managers”.

FEATURE: With the policing landscape changing “faster than ever”, Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) Learning and Development lead David Bamber, and Dr Sean Bell, Lecturer in Policing Organisation and Practice at the Open University, explain why the two organisations are working together to introduce a “fully accredited, recognised and validated programme in professional practice” for PFEW reps to ensure they have the skills required to take on a role that is “becoming more challenging”.

FEATURE: While a new report suggests An Garda Síochána officers are still reluctant to engage with service-backed support systems for fear of being stigmatised, one member of the service is “filling the void” by providing free workshops promoting healthy lifestyles through a holistic approach covering issues including nutrition, sleep, exercise, emotional and mental health, stress management and resilience, as Garda Stephen O’Connor explained to Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons.

FEATURE: A new report from the Scottish Institute for Policing Research has highlighted concerns that officers in public protection roles often mask their true feelings through ‘emotional labour’ – supressing their own personal emotions in order to display organisationally desired ones – and often won’t seek help because of the stigma surrounding mental health, leaving them at risk of long-term emotional and psychological damage, as Policing Insight’s Sarah Gibbons reports.

INTERVIEW: Ahead of next month’s 4th World LGBTQI+ Criminal Justice Conference in Austin, Texas, Policing Insight’s Christine Townsend spoke to Austin Police Department’s Sergeant Mike Wilmore-Crumrine, Conference Executive Director, about his own experiences as an officer who is gay, the work being done to improve internal workplace cultures for queer-identifying officers as well as the communities policing serves, and why the conference theme of ‘Bridging the Gap’ is also crucial part of moving forwards.

OPINION: The wellbeing of police officers and staff has become increasingly important for policing organisations; but Graham Goulden, a former officer with a 30-year career and now a strong advocate for safe and supportive workplaces, believes the policing approach to wellbeing needs a major rethink, with leaders, supervisors, and officers and staff all having vital roles to play in building a truly supportive workplace culture.