Movement for comprehensive police suicide care launched

2 April 2025

A new campaign advocating for better suicide prevention of police officers should be backed by everyone within the profession, says branch secretary Helen Scholefield.

The Suicide Trauma Prevention Education (STEP) initiative was launched on Monday (24 March), with the central aim of safeguarding cops against distressing events including members of the public taking their own life.

For the years 2015, 2016 and 2017, an estimated 60 police officers and police community support officers (PCSOs) died by suicide in England and Wales over this time.

In a similar 33-month period from April 2021 to January 2024, 80 suspected suicides were recorded among force officers and staff.

Commenting on these figures, Helen said: “The sad reality is that policing can expose its workers to trauma most other people would, rightfully, never have to be anywhere near.

“There are plenty of incidents dealt with on a daily basis which can affect an officer psychologically, but when they are actually witnessing things around mental health itself – like suicide and self-harm – sometimes that leap to their own mental health can be a small one.

STEP campaign

“While these duties may be unavoidable, it is vital we still look to help our officers as much as we can – and that means support which is specific to what they go through.

“This is what STEP is wanting to push for, so I think everyone in policing should be fully behind the movement.”

The STEP campaign, which will be lobbied to chief officers, MPs and police and crime commissioners, comes against a backdrop of general suicide rates in the UK consistently growing.

Deaths with a recorded cause of suicide stood at 7,055 in 2023, the highest figures per size of population since 1999 – meaning the police are under increased pressure to meet the demands of the population in this regard.

One of the campaign’s key proposals is for elements of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), widely introduced to the force in recent years, to become mandatory each time an officer handles a suicide incident.

Immune

“As a public service, we have the difficult responsibility of being there for people in some of the worst moments of their lives,” Helen added.

“But that doesn’t mean we are immune to difficult times ourselves – if anything, our jobs can leave us more vulnerable to dark places we might struggle to get out of.

“Hopefully, this initiative help further ensure officer are cared for – in a way that meets their specific needs – before it gets to a point where they feel there is nowhere else to turn.

“With that said, it’s also important we remember there is already a variety of support networks around who can help with trauma and wellbeing problems.”

For Samaritans, call 116 123.

There is also support offered by charities such as Flint House, the Police Treatment Centres (PTCs), The Ben Fund, Oscar Kilo, PTSD 999, Police Chaplaincy and Police Care.