“Suicide is something many of us will face in policing, and we all have a part to play in helping each other”.
Our Chair, Stuart Cowan, spoke about the importance of attending The Canmore Trust's Third Wellbeing Conference in Dunblane. The event examined the impact of society's mental health crisis on frontline police officers, officer wellbeing, and learning from the suicide community to reduce trauma.
Officers in BTP are regularly exposed to suicide, which is one of the reasons the Federation attended the event. Stuart Cowan said, “It was important to be there as we can all be educated further on suicide. The Canmore Trust is a charity that supports compassion, communication, clarity and bravery when discussing suicide. They are passionate about looking to change the conversation about suicide.”
The conference considered the role police officers have in delivering the news of a death to families, and the difference their approach can make. A key moment of the conference was hearing from John Gibson, the charity’s founder, who spoke about his family's journey following the loss of his son, Cameron, to suicide.
Ryan Griffiths said: “It really brought home the profound impact police officers can have on families experiencing such a loss, and why it is so important that we get those interactions right. I reflected on moments in my career when I delivered sympathy messages, and the impact I left on those families.”
John's story also highlighted how difficult it can be for officers tasked with delivering devastating news. One of our main takeaways was that compassion and a human touch can make an enormous difference. We may not always get everything right, but approaching these moments with empathy matters greatly.
Stuart Cowan, second from left, and Ryan Griffiths, second from right, with colleagues from other national police Federations.
