Stress Awareness Month - The Federation and GMP are both here to support staff

16 April 2021

The rigours of policing the pandemic have left Greater Manchester’s officers suffering from worrying levels of stress, the Federation’s Chair has said.

April is Stress Awareness Month, and various organisations are providing tools and advice that can help police officers deal with stress. Almost 80% of officers have struggled with their mental health and wellbeing over the past 12 months, according to the Police Federation of England and Wales’ latest survey.

Stu Berry, Federation Chair, said: “Stress is a very real problem that can affect officers’ professional and personal lives. It is a very normal issue but it is not something that they should be expected to struggle on with. The Federation and GMP are both here to support staff and we at the Federation work hard with the force to make sure that happens. I want to call on all of our workforce, whether it’s police staff or police officers, and let them know that if they feel stressed, there is help out there for them.

“No one should come to work to feel overly burdened, over-stressed or that workloads are getting to the point where they can no longer do their job. If that is the case, the Federation is here to assist. Speak to your line manager, speak to the groups and our partners that are out there to assist and deal with it early. There’s no shame in it. Please speak to someone, including your colleagues. We’re all there to support each other.”

Belinda Goodwin, the Police Federation of England and Wales’ Welfare Lead, added: “Some stress can be good for us. But when it stops being good for you, that’s when members need to reach out. Remember, there is help out there for everyone. If you feel you are experiencing stress and you need to chat with someone, the first port of call is your local branch - where one of our local Reps can confidentially advise you on the best way forward.”

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.