POLICEThe Police Federation of England & Wales www.polfed.org

September 2015

Speakingout aboutstress

Why Sgt Ed Simpson is backing a new Mind campaign to tackle stress and mental health issues in the service

n Federation warns new round of budget cuts could leave policing in crisis

5 EditorialIgnorance on impact of cuts is ‘sobering’, say MPsLack of ‘appropriate adults’ to safeguard rights of mentally vulnerable adults

6 View from the chair: Steve White warns that more policingvolunteers won’t paper over the cracks in resourcesBravery Awards highlight the courageous acts of officers

7 Local Focus: Tom Cuddeford, deputy chair of West Midlands Police Federation

8 New round of cuts prompts Federation calls to look at ‘radical’ solutions to funding crisis

10 The Station Sergeant is... Declaring an interestDeaths in custody combated by Formula 1 team approach

11 Computer-based APP custody training fails to engage officers

12 Officers must take more development ‘responsibility’14 The Bigger Picture: Female officers head to Cardiff for

the IAWP centenary

16 Light at the end of the tunnelResearch by mental health charity Mind found nine in 10 emergency services staff and volunteers have experienced stress or mental health issues; now a new support programme is helping to challenge mental health stigma

20 Supporting women in policingAs women police officers from over 30 countries came together at the International Association of Women in Police (IAWP), Federation representatives spoke about what they do to support officers in the UK

13 Dogberry: the lighter side of policing

24 Members’ benefits

26 View from the sidelines: Clive Chamberlain, former chair of Dorset Police Federation, takes a different look at life

Nick O’Time cartoon

27 Sudoku

September 2015 POLICE 13

POLICE September 2015 – in this issue:

NEWS & COMMENT

FEATURES

REGULARS

p26

p11

p6

p16

Editor:Syreeta Lund

Federation House,Highbury Drive,Leatherhead,Surrey, KT22 7UYTel: 01372 352000

Advertising agents:Richard PlaceChestnut MediaTel: 01271 324748

07962 370808Email:richard@chestnutmedia.co.uk

Every care is taken to ensure that advertisements areaccepted only from bona fideadvertisers. The PoliceFederation cannot accept anyliability for losses incurred byany person as a result of adefault on the part of anadvertiser.

The views expressed within the magazine are notnecessarily the views of theJoint Central Committee of thePolice Federation of Englandand Wales.

ChairSteve WhiteGeneral Secretary:Andy FittesTreasurer:Martyn MordecaiVice-Chair:Will RichesDeputy General Secretary:Andy WardDeputy Treasurer:Geoff Stuttaford

© The Police Federation 2015Reproduction strictly forbidden unless by prior arrangement with the publishers.

Cover picture:© Mind

16 POLICE September 2015 www.polfed.org

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Admitting you are suffering from mental healthissues can be a tall order for anyone, but researchby mental health charity Mind found nine in 10emergency services staff and volunteers haveexperienced stress, low mood and poor mentalhealth at some point.

Police officers may be more likely to suffer fromstress but they are less likely to take time offbecause of it, says Mind. Nationally, one in 20police officers took time off sick in the lastfinancial year – that is 6,278 officers. A Freedom of Information request asked forces how manyofficers took sick leave for depression, anxiety,stress or post-traumatic stress disorder in thefinancial year ending March 2015. In 23 forcesthere was an increase in the number of officerssigned off.

The charity has been given £4m from the LIBORfund – money raised through fines imposed onbanks for misdemeanours and trying tomanipulate financial markets – to provide a newprogramme of support for emergency services staffand volunteers, including the police service. A Blue Light Infoline has already been set up tooffer confidential, independent and practicalsupport, advice and signposting around mentalhealth and well-being to emergency service staff,volunteers and their families in England.

Among a number of initiatives under theprogramme is the opportunity to become a Blue Light champion. These are the employees orvolunteers in the emergency services, who takeaction in the workplace to raise awareness ofmental health problems and challenge mentalhealth stigma.

Jayne Willetts, the Federation lead on mentalhealth issues in relation to welfare involved in theBlue Light Programme, said that many officers staysilent when they are suffering. “We have a lot ofofficers who suffer from mental health issues andare fearful of admitting it because they feel it is arisk factor in their job and they are not aware ofany support,” explained Jayne. “We can end upbeing the very last place they turn to for help,rather than the first. There is still a stigma aroundmental health and that is something we need tochallenge.”

You can show support for the programme byspreading the word on Twitter – follow@MindBlueLight and use the hashtag #mybluelight

Light at the end of the tunnel

Pictures © mangojuicy / Shutterstock

www.polfed.org September 2015 POLICE 17

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When faced with the grieving parents of a youngboy in a mortuary, Ed Simpson felt somethinginside him change. After 15 years as a front-lineofficer and seven as a family liaison officer,something had been happening that he wasunaware of. The job and the gravity of what hehad to deal with were chipping away at his well-being and resilience.

“When the mother saw the body she justscreamed; it completely destroyed me,” said Ed, ashe spoke to officers at the Police Federation’sNational Custody Seminar this month.

He said that his facade as a police officercompletely disintegrated. “She was just shoutingat her son, ‘why are you cold, what have you doneto yourself?’.

“I was vulnerable in that room then; I cried forthe first time as a police officer on duty; I criedwith the family and I cried on my way home.”

The 39-year-old officer from North Yorkshire hadjust had a baby with his wife and put it down tobecoming a dad and a police officer. “I thought Ijust needed to learn how to become a dad and acop. I went on to get promoted, I knew there weresome emotional problems there and I didn’t liketalking about that job. But little things wouldreally affect me. I thought there was nothingwrong with me; it was just that other peoplecoped better than me.”

In 2012, he volunteered to work in custody to becloser to home as his wife fell pregnant again. Bythis point he was in a spiral, “It was the endlessrevolving door of people coming in with problemswe could not solve. I am a caring kind of guy, Iwanted to carry on and just keep going, and it hadan immense impact on me. I just thought‘everyone else is strong and I am weak’. I fell intoself-doubt and I was terrible, checking thingsconstantly. I began checking records in custodythinking I had been responsible for someone’sdeath. I just took everything on, like a donkey,

‘Things just turnedto dust’Ed Simpson, former custody officer

“I wasvulnerable inthat roomthen; I cried forthe first timeas a policeofficer on duty;I cried with thefamily and Icried on myway home.”

18 POLICE September 2015 www.polfed.org

If people have a physical injury they don’t carewho knows, so why should a stress-related illnessbe something to be ashamed of?

I grew up in Manchester and my parents divorcedwhen I was six; I didn’t see my dad again until Iwas 16. My mum was a lesbian so I guess themarriage was doomed to fail! I went to the localcomprehensive Catholic secondary school.Thankfully, I had some of the most amazingteachers who kept me on the right tracks. Eventhough I wasn’t aware of it at the time, and ofcourse there wasn’t the information about in the1980s, looking back I am sure I have suffered onand off with depression since my teenage years. Inever knew how to deal with how I felt so I wouldgo for long walks on my own. Only a couple of myteachers knew about this and they ensured I keptmyself as safe as I could. This makes me soundlike I was a loner as a child. Far from it; I waspretty popular with peers and teachers. I was verysporty so that helped.

I left Manchester at 19 to join HertfordshireConstabulary. I hadn’t had many dealings with thepolice, however I knew it was what I wanted to do.My probation flew by and I loved pretty muchmost of it, however I would have spells of beinghomesick. Not really for my family, but for myfriends. When I was about 23 I went on a new shiftand like most at that time I was the only female.This was nothing unusual for me because that isthe way it had always been, however my newsergeant was not overly impressed. I wish I couldsay it was because he was ‘old school’ but

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then got weighed down… I felt like I was a weakand rubbish dad and husband.

“I was driving to work thinking ‘I wish I wasdead’,” he added.

“I could just hear this white noise, 360 degrees. Iused to put my fingers in my ears, I just couldn’tswitch on properly. I think quite visually and all Icould see was a tunnel and at the end wasdarkness, I just kept assuming something bad wasgoing to happen.”

But on June 16, 2012, the white noise that hadbeen plaguing him for months came to an end. “Itwas just silence. I didn’t care about anything oranyone. Things just turned to dust.”

He had to take time out from work for the firsttime in his career, and it would be a year before hecould return.

“I had convinced myself I was the only policeofficer that had ever had a mental illness. Ithought, how am I going to tell people I amsuffering from depression and I’m not the sameperson anymore? I had two options. Whensomeone asked ‘Where have you been?’ I could lieand make something up, or tell the truth. I am soglad I decided to be honest and open.

“I’ve never had one negative reaction. Peoplereact with empathy, and often disclose that eitherthey or a family member or a friend has sufferedfrom mental illness. How stupid is it to think thatpeople who work in the blue light services, whodeal with all the bad things in society, are immunefrom mental illness? We are not, and there is noshame in that. We teach officers how to protecttheir bodies from physical harm. What we don’t dois help them to protect their minds and ultimatelytheir mental well-being.”

Ed now talks to new recruits under the banner ofthe Blue Light Programme.

“Because talking with a colleague, friend orfamily member might help process how you arefeeling, and prevent it from becoming that seedwhich grows and grows and one day erupts – likeit did with me,” he said.

‘Bottling things upreally doesn’t help’National federation representativeKaren Stephens

Organisations can sign the Blue Light pledge to develop meaningfulaction plans to support staff and volunteers. To find out more and tostart the application process, visit www.mind.org.uk/bluelightpledge

The Infoline is available by phoning 0300 303 5999 (lines openMonday-Friday, 9am-6pm, calls charged at local rates), emailingbluelightinfo@mind.org.uk or texting 84999 for a response from oneof the dedicated advisers during the Infoline working hours.

Advisers will look for details of help and support in your area orrelevant to your service. Unfortunately advisers are unable to offeran emotional listening service or counselling through the Infoline.

For more details about the programme, visit mind.org.uk/bluelight

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unfortunately he wasn’t. To this day I don’t knowwhether it was because I was female or he just didnot like me, but he made my life hell at work. Hepicked on every single thing I did. The lads on theshift could not understand it either. At least once ashift I would end up in the toilets crying becauseof him. Obviously being a ‘tough northerner’ Iwould never let anyone see this side of me. Then Istarted not wanting to go to work and cryingbefore work at the prospect of having to spendtime near this man. At this time I lived in a hostelabove a police station which was 15 miles awayfrom where I worked. The trip to work was on abusy A-road and I began to think about what itwould be like if I didn’t take the bends.

I didn’t talk about it with anyone. I was in quite aserious relationship, but I never told my partnerabout it. I always kept partners at arm’s length as Inever wanted to get too close to anyone.

I finally went to the doctors and I was diagnosedwith clinical depression. My reaction was to burstinto tears and say I was not depressed. I wassigned off work for quite some time. The support Igot from my sergeant was non-existent; howevermy inspector and chief inspector were brilliant.That was after the initial shock to them; it wouldappear that no one at work guessed that I wasfeeling so bad. I was surprised at how good I hadbeen at hiding everything. Or was it becausepeople weren’t really looking for anything?

Just because people see you smile they thinkthings are ok; how wrong can they be.

Through my 24-year career I, like most, dealtwith all sorts of tragic incidents. One whichsprings to mind was the death of a child. This wasbefore I had children. But it was at the end of anightshift and we got that call everyone dreads, ‘Achild has drowned in the bath’. It was 05.50hrs sowe all thought it must be a mistake, butunfortunately not. A six-year-old girl who wasblind and had epilepsy, who loved water hadwoken up and instead of going into her parentsshe decided to try and have a bath. As she wasrunning the water she hit her head and fell in. Shehad an epileptic fit and died. I then spent the nextfive hours with the parents at the hospital.

Many of you may think that this is not an issuebut for some reason this death really affected me.I could not sleep because every time I closed myeyes I saw that little girl. When I went back intowork that night, no one mentioned it. The lads‘appeared’ to have just moved on. I couldn’tbelieve it. This was just an example of where I felta bit pathetic for letting things get to me when theothers seemed to be ok.

Bottling things up really doesn’t help. I havedone this time and time again. Many times my GPwould want to sign me off work but I would not let

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I was alwaysquite proud of the factthat mysupervisorssaw me assomeone whothey couldgive anythingto and trustthat it wouldget done.Resilient wasalways a wordused on myperformancedevelopmentreview.

them. I didn’t want people to see me as beingweak. So I would put my happy face on and justget on with it. I was always quite proud of the factthat my supervisors saw me as someone who theycould give anything to and trust that it would getdone. Resilient was always a word used on myperformance development review.

I have been on medication more than I haven’tover the last 20 years. And while I hid this from themajority of my friends and family I have got to astage in my life where I don’t believe I should hideit anymore. That said, I do not believe for oneminute being on medication has hindered mycareer or life. I wanted to become a detective so Idid. I wanted to be a regional representative, so Idid. I am married with two strong daughters who Iam immensely proud of.

I recently wrote something on social mediaabout my depression and was absolutelyoverwhelmed with the response. Not only was itsupportive but the amount of people who sent meprivate messages saying they too deal withdepression every day was overwhelming. I knowthe majority of these people are like I was andkeep it secret, but why do we have to feel like weshould hide this illness? If people reading thisthink that I am weak because of my illness, thenit’s them that I feel sorry for. I am a strong womanwho knows her own mind.

I am a regional representative for one of thelargest regions. I have always stood my groundeven if it has made me unpopular. But that is whatI am here for and I love my job.

The majority of us joined the police to helppeople – please remember that this does not stopwith the public. Look at your colleagues, makesure you help them too and when they smile, lookat their eyes to see if they are really smiling.

If you only take one thing away from what youhave read, please just remember. I don’t want tobe treated differently because I have been openabout depression, that’s not why I am doing this. I just want people to know that it is ok to tellpeople you are depressed and feeling down. Ifpeople see it as an issue, it’s their ‘issue’ not yours.

Karen is married with two daughters and is theRegion 5 South East representative with the Police

Federation and England and Wales (PFEW)

Other sources of help:Officers who make a voluntary weekly donation to Flint House, PoliceRehabilitation Centre, can also access specialist help:www.flinthouse.co.uk/psychological-support.htmlThe Federation and Police Firearms Officers Association Welfare SupportProgramme is aimed at those who have been involved in post-incidentprocedures: www.polfed.org/fedatwork/Welfare_Support_Programme.aspx