Stress Awareness Month: Help is out there for officers who are struggling

8 April 2021

During their careers, each police officer is likely to encounter between 400 to 600 traumatic events. Most citizens will experience between three or four in their lifetime.

April is #StressAwarenessMonth and Essex Police Federation has outlined how help is out there for officers who are struggling.

Nationally, nearly 10,000 police officers took time off due to stress, depression, anxiety and post-traumatic stress disorder in the past year. 

PFEW’s January 2021 Demand, Capacity and Welfare Survey revealed that almost 80% of officers said they have struggled with their mental health and wellbeing over the past 12 months.

Laura Heggie, Chair of Essex Police Federation, said: “Sadly those figures don’t come as a surprise. We can’t remove the stress of policing, that comes with the job, but we can look out for each other and ourselves to alleviate additional stress and seek help. 

“There are many options open to officers in Essex through Occupational Health services and outside agencies including our own Federation Welfare Support Programme. The most important part is that officers recognise it in themselves and others and aren’t afraid to ask for help, there is no stigma anymore it’s ok to not be ok.”    

If you are struggling, please contact a Federation Representative or Essex@polfed.org

Officers in need of support can also see more about the Mind Blue Light Programme here https://www.mind.org.uk/news-campaigns/campaigns/blue-light-programme/

The Stress Management Society have also created a free Individual Stress Test https://www.stress.org.uk/individual-stress-test/ where individuals can receive a stress score and some personalised recommendations for managing this.