Campaign urges members to check in on one another

24 June 2024

A new drive to highlight the importance of members looking after their own mental health and checking in on each other has been launched by the Police Federation of England and Wales.

Derbyshire Police Federation members are being encouraged to ask how their colleagues are and, if they are not convinced by the answer, to ask twice.

It’s part of PFEW’s #AskTwice campaign, which aims to develop a culture that positively addresses mental health and wellbeing in the police service.

Paul Williams, PFEW wellbeing co-lead, said: “The difficulty with mental health is that no one can see it.

Mental injury

“You can see a physical injury, but you can’t see a mental injury until the physical effects take place, which could be ill health symptoms or that be behavioural.

“By the time those symptoms come on, it’s often too late and the person is broken.

“Through the #AskTwice campaign we’re trying to highlight early intervention, that by asking somebody twice you can potentially identify early signs of mental ill-health and hopefully intervene and prevent any further damage.

“We’ve all got a responsibility to each other and ourselves to speak to our colleagues to spot early signs of mental ill-health and intervene where necessary.”

The #AskTwice campaign was launched during Mental Health Awareness Week.

It commits to fostering a supportive and inclusive environment where people feel valued, heard, and empowered to seek help when needed.

The campaign is also a resource and brings together assets to offer support and guidance in areas such as bereavement, financial wellbeing, and suicide.

The online resource will grow over time as new information and advice are added to it.

Campaign

Paul said: “There are so many strands of wellbeing in policing, such as Police Treatment Centres, credit unions, counselling, Police Care UK.

“We’ve brought them all together with toolkits on a single site for members and for reps.”

The campaign was launched with a webinar, which included a presentation by guest speaker Mel Lynch, an ex-British Army physical trainer, on positive mental health in the workplace through exercise.

Paul said: “For those who are restricted or have office jobs and are sat in front of a desk for a number of hours a day, various simple exercises can stimulate the endorphins that are released through movement and can improve your mental health, your sleep and your overall work performance.

“Taking screen breaks and using this time to stretch and even practice some light exercises in the office can be the difference between good and poor mental health,” he added.

Find out more about #AskTwice, and watch the campaign launch.