28 days from today is Wed, 18 June 2025
Just one month into the STEP - Suicide Trauma Education Prevention - campaign, a meeting has been arranged with Police Chiefs to discuss the urgent issue of escalating officer suicides.
The STEP campaign, which aims to reduce the number of police officers who take their own lives, was launched by Hampshire Police Federation on March 24 and has now been backed by Federations across the country.
In May, the campaign team will meet with the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPCC) and Oscar Kilo, the Police Wellbeing Service.
Spencer Wragg, Hampshire Police Federation Chair, said: “We have had a huge response to the STEP campaign since it launched a month ago. What is becoming clear is that we’ve started a conversation that’s been long overdue.
“I believe that forces and chief officers realise what a huge issue this is. The swiftness of arranging this meeting shows that those in policing know we need to tackle this problem.
“I want to talk to these influential people about the fact that suicide is a real issue for policing across the country. This is about people who are being exposed to trauma, day in and day out, in all parts of the country, police officers and staff.”
The STEP campaign is calling for the practical step of mandatory TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) sessions for every police officer who attends a suicide. Spencer also urged officers and police staff who were struggling with their mental health to seek help and support.
Between 2011 and 2022, there were 242 suicides of current police officers and PCSOs in England and Wales. More recently – from 2021 to 2024 – an estimated 80 former and current police officers took their own lives.
He said: “Suicide doesn’t just affect the PCs who are on the frontline. It affects all ranks, it affects all levels, it’s within all forces, among all staff. The culture of policing is about helping others in times of crisis, we just need to learn and accept that it’s OK for us not to be OK. But also to accept help when it is offered; we are human, after all.
“We joined the police to help others, but we’ve got people suffering within our organisations. I’m not surprised at the interest that’s been generated by this campaign, because it’s in the DNA of policing to help others at times of need.”
Spencer added that, even though police officers were hardwired to help others, sometimes they were not so good at helping themselves.
He said: “One of our messages is to please accept help when it’s offered and be open to trying something different if you’re at the point of crisis.”
It is important for officers who are struggling to know they are not alone, and that there are people there to help. This includes, for immediacy:
The Thin Blue Line: visit www.thinbluelineuk.org.uk
and Samaritans: call 116 123
Officers can also access the support offered by charities and organisations including Flint House, Police Treatment Centres, PTSD999, The Ben Fund and Oscar Kilo.
Quick links to information on the national Police Federation website:
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