Fighting for officers’ mental health ‘has become my life’ says Fed rep

24 June 2024

When West Midlands Police Federation representative Matthew (Matt) Manwaring’s duties as a police officer left him in a battle with serious mental health issues, he could never have foreseen the legacy it would carry over 20 years later. Here, we learn about his story from rock bottom to pioneering change within the Police Force.

Coventry-born and raised, Matt, a sergeant, began his career at West Midlands Police in 1997 and performed roles across response, traffic, and custody units before going on to form an integral part of a neighbourhood team in his home city.

“I joined the Police because I wanted to make a difference in my community. Growing up, I hadn’t lived a sheltered life, but I certainly hadn’t been exposed to the difficulty and deprivation I started seeing in Coventry once I got this job. That made me want to help and keep people safe even more,” he said.

In 2003, however, his wellbeing took a serious hit in the culmination of various incidents he witnessed while at work. Reflecting on how he was managed in the immediate aftermath of these incidents, Matt explains that a lack of attention to the possibility of long-term consequences as the precursor to him ultimately becoming mentally unwell.

Delayed trauma

“They [the incidents] were extremely disturbing for me, and the ‘diffusion’ processes, as they were then, never captured any delayed trauma – and I could never have seen it on my own,” he said.

“If I was regularly monitored in the months after, it wouldn’t have taken that trauma away, but I could’ve been helped before it got worse.”

Matt’s first death-after-police-contact incident came five years into his time as an officer, in which he attempted to intervene in the acute behaviour disorder of a man experiencing a psychotic episode. The man, under the influence of drugs and alcohol, was then taken to hospital but subsequently passed away.

Another prominent event which stayed with Matt, now 49, took place the following night when a man attempted to take his own life by cutting his wrists and fighting police officers trying to get him medical attention. The man survived after being taken to hospital.

Matt at Buckingham Palace with It Takes Balls To Talk founder,
Alex Cotton, as she collected her MBE.

Then, in March 2003, a second incident left a very lasting mark on him. A man - wanted for recall to prison after breaching licence conditions - tried to evade police by moving around a high-rise flat block. As officers were granted access to his flat via a neighbour, the man climbed onto the top of his balcony wall, and despite Matt’s physical attempts to stop him, sadly died by suicide.

“The next month, I suffered from suicidal ideation and attempted to take my own life. It was a build-up of many things I had seen, and it came to a head after that final incident in March,” he said.

“I am still here today, but it was an incredibly tough time, where I became so overwhelmed and unable to deal with what was going on in my mind.”

Once he had made the difficult recovery from this period, he set about shifting his focus away from the damage of those experiences and instead, made changing the landscape of mental health in policing his purpose.

Mental health research

“I didn’t know how, at first, but I wanted to make mental health support for police officers more comprehensive, more accessible, and importantly, more focused on the long-term,” he explained.

Years of impassioned work have followed, with his involvement in mental health research and awareness work taking on a variety of capacities. Illustrative of his commitment to finding better services for officers are the positions and titles he has picked up along the way, such as in education and philanthropy.

Central to Matt’s efforts has been the introduction to force protocol of Trauma Risk Management (TRiM). The peer support system, originally formulated for the Royal Marines and used widely across the armed forces, involves specially trained non-medical practitioners keeping in close contact with victims of a traumatic event.

Although already in existence within the Police Force, Matt, along with Federation member Laura Cuthbertson, rolled out TRiM to a wider base of staff, including frontline operational officers in 2018, having undergone training to become practitioners themselves the previous year.

He continued: “I think TRiM has been transformational in how officers affected by trauma are managed. It is grounded in academic research and uses the principle of ‘active monitoring’, where a watchful eye is kept over individuals at risk, carefully assessing for any delayed reaction. Crucially, it is also voluntary and completely confidential.

“It was huge to get it out there and make it accessible to so many. Support from the Force’s wellbeing managers Lorraine Horner and Sophie Petrie has been instrumental in supporting the welfare of officers and staff since its introduction.”

Isolation

Through the launch of the system, Matt has enabled many fellow coppers to avoid the feeling of isolation he experienced at his lowest.

He added: “With what I went through, it wasn’t just what was lacking in terms of support, but the way I was made to feel as a professional. The only follow-up procedures I was involved with relating to the incidents were investigations, where I sometimes felt at fault for what happened.

“What police officers need is to feel valued as people and not have to worry there is some secret employee file about your weaknesses and struggles.”

Matt’s function as a mental health triage officer was advanced further in 2018 when he graduated from the Open University with an open degree, focusing on counselling and forensic psychology. This attainment came alongside positions he holds as founding trustee and vice-chair of the charity It Takes Balls To Talk and as guest lecturer of forensic investigation and policing at Coventry University.

“It’s become my life. I’m so proud to do all the work I do, providing people with the support I didn’t have,” he said.

Support services

“It’s important that people don’t think things have been on the straight and narrow ever since I was in that very low place. I was always determined to create change for others, but personal mental health journeys are complicated and can take time - and it was only talking about it that made me truly recover.

“Thinking about that period of my life is very hard, but it’s got easier as I’ve opened up and as I’ve become so switched on to everything to do with helping others. As soon as I became a rep, I realised how many other support services there are available to police officers through the Fed.

“Of course, I can heavily recommend the use of TRiM through the Force themselves, but the Fed gives members access to amazing organisations like Police Care UK and Care First which might suit some people’s needs better – the latter of which is not limited to issues in work life, but personal life too.”As he grows into his latest role as a workplace representative, Matt says he never wants to stop in his pursuit of helping the best possible psychological guidance find its way to both colleagues in policing and the general public.

“We’ve come a long, long way in how the immediate aftermath of traumatic events are dealt with, and that drives me forward to keep helping people” he ended.

“There’s so much amazing support out there now, so if you’re struggling with your mental health, please reach out and talk to someone. You’re never on your own.”

Members who feel they need support should contact their local Fed rep or speak to their line manager.