Demand for Welfare Support Programme increases

16 January 2018

More officers are struggling to cope with the demands placed on them during the course of their duties.

That is the stark reality of policing according to the latest figures from the Welfare Support Programme (WSP).

The WSP was set up in June 2015 as part of a joint initiative between the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) and Police Firearms Officers’ Association (PFOA) and offers year-round support to officers and their immediate families.

In the last three years, 857 officers and their family members have registered on the programme.

Leicestershire Police Federation chairman Tiff Lynch said: “The demands being placed on our officers are getting higher and higher and that has been well-documented in recent times.

“While we continually strive for more support from the Government to help dedicated officers do their job diligently and to the best of their ability, the pressure on those officers only increases.

“Sometimes, that pressure can manifest itself in the development of ill-health or problems with mental health and that is where the WSP can offer such valuable interaction.”

The use of the WSP varies across forces. Some do not use the programme at all and have no officers on the scheme while others refer people on a weekly basis.

Over the last 12 months, the WSP has made 2,856 contacts with officers and their family members.

The PFEW mental health lead, Che Donald, said: “We have policing in a crisis and we do not have the capacity to meet the on-going demand and it is placing police officers inside a pressure cooker environment.

“With a continuing lack of resources within their own forces and access to services, the WSP tries to fill that gap. The duty of care lies with the Chief Constable of that police force area but the WSP is an attempt to fill the crack which the police officers are slipping through.”

Che revealed the WSP has directly been involved in saving the lives of five officers who were going to take their own lives: “The value of the WSP will have been borne out if we just saved one life and there is not a cost comparison to saving one officer.

“We will continue to support the programme based on positive feedback from members who have accessed the service and the positive affect it has had on their lives and their family members.”

PFOA chief executive Mark Williams said issues the scheme is now assisting with are more about mental health and how officers are suffering as a result of protracted investigations.

He explained: “Without doubt, the WSP is having a hugely positive impact on those that find themselves at their lowest ebb, experiencing the pressures of being a police officer and indeed the pressures of being related to a police officer.”