Men’s health lead Zac Mader has welcomed the launch of the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) new mental health and wellbeing campaign.

PFEW’s #AskTwice campaign aims to develop a supportive and inclusive environment where people feel valued, heard, and empowered to seek help when needed.

Zac, who is also the co-Welsh lead, said: “The #AskTwice campaign is a commitment by the Federation to change perceptions and attitudes towards mental health.

“It aims to encourage officers to pause, reflect, and prioritise their own wellbeing and that of their colleagues.

“We want to create a positive workplace culture where officers feel supported and actively encouraged to look after the mental health and wellbeing.”

The #AskTwice campaign was launched during this year's Mental Health Awareness Week (13 - 19 May).

It encourages officers to ask how their colleagues are and, if they are not convinced by the answer, to ask twice.

Paul Williams, PFEW wellbeing co-lead, said: “The difficulty with mental health is that no one can see it.

“You can see a physical injury, but you can’t see a mental injury until the physical effects take place, which could be ill health symptoms or that be behavioural.

“By the time those symptoms come on it’s often too late and the person is broken.

“Through the #AskTwice campaign we’re trying to highlight early intervention, that by asking somebody twice you can potentially identify early signs of mental ill-health and hopefully intervene and prevent any further damage.

“We’ve all got responsibility to each other and ourselves to speak to our colleagues to spot early signs of mental ill-health and intervene where necessary.”

The campaign is also a resource and brings together assets to offer support and guidance in areas such as bereavement, financial wellbeing, and suicide.

The online resource will grow over time as new information and advice is added to it.

Paul said: “There are so many strands of wellbeing in policing, such as Police Treatment Centres, credit unions, counselling, Police Care UK.

“We’ve brought them all together with toolkits on a single site for members and for reps.”

The campaign was launched with a webinar, which included a presentation by guest speaker Mel Lynch, an ex-British Army physical trainer, on positive mental health in the workplace through exercise.

Paul said: “For those who are restricted or have office jobs and are sat in front of a desk for a number of hours a day, various simple exercises can stimulate the endorphins that are released through movement and can improve your mental health, your sleep and your overall work performance.

“Taking screen breaks and using this time to stretch and even practice some light exercises in the office can be the difference between good and poor mental health,” he added.

Find out more about #AskTwice, and watch the campaign launch.