Police officials who are mainly on the frontline work in a very stressful environment and often find themselves in traumatic situations, but they may avoid seeking professional help because of stigma, experts say.
Criminal expert and criminologist Dr Guy Lamb expressed this view in the wake of the Police and Prisons Civil Rights Union's (Popcru) sentiments about officers who die due to murder-suicide incidents.
Popcru said the already understaffed police service has, from 2017 to date, lost over 300 officers to suicide and murder-suicide incidents. The union said it believed this situation underscored the profound mental and emotional stress officers experience in the line of duty.
This follows the recent incident of murder and attempted murder in Limpopo after a sergeant in Southern Gateway in the Westenburg policing area killed two colleagues and wounded a former officer before taking his own life with his service pistol.
Lamb said this incident was slightly different, and the most common occurrence was police officials using firearms against their significant others in domestic violence and committing suicide afterwards.
“That is more common than police shooting at other police and turning the gun on themselves. Police and those in the private security industry who have access to firearms are far more at risk of perpetrating intimate partner femicide followed by suicide,” he said.
The operations director at the South African Depression and Anxiety Group (Sadag), Cassey Chambers, said when these cases happen, what is presented is often seen in isolation.
“I think we have to understand the complexities of all these different factors that come into play,” she said. She said stigma is a recurring theme throughout the years with a police force as it is usually a very male-dominated workforce and an environment “where cowboys don't cry”.
Popcru spokesperson Richard Mamabolo said the figures are a cause for concern and through their research over the years, they have established that they are mainly related to challenges around financial difficulties, spousal relations, substance abuse and harsh working conditions that police are subjected to.
He said even though the police service introduced Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) programmes aimed at improving the mental wellbeing of staff, evidence has demonstrated that the programmes still need to achieve their objectives.
Mamabolo said there were claims of lack of confidentiality, no regular visits to victims, and stigmatisation of the services, which limited individuals' upward mobility within the ranks. He said police wellbeing cannot be disconnected from the broader environment in which they operate.
“Though the EHW programmes have good intentions, their shortfall has been around confidentiality, lack of monitoring processes and the limited professionals who are tasked with rolling the programme out,” he said.
He said they have been engaging management about these shortfalls and also noted a need for further awareness among members to opt for them.
“With the new minister [Senzo Mchunu], we are hopeful that this issue will be prioritised to ensure sufficient budgetary allocations,” Mamabolo said.
Lamb said being on the frontline and confronted with traumatic situations does affect police mental health, especially if they are in violent encounters and their lives are in danger.
“The problem is, in terms of dealing with this trauma there is often a stigma attached to counselling when seeking assistance for their mental health, and as a result, the person will feel it might affect their careers, they might not get a promotion, they might be taken off and be redeployed to desk jobs,” he said.
Lamb said the reason that these services are stigmatised often leaves police not necessarily wanting to make use of the internal support that is offered and if they were to seek support outside, they would have to pay from their own pockets.
“Part of the issue is that the police organisation is quite a masculine organisation with officers trying not to show their weaknesses. Often, police will not want to see, or will ignore the signs that they are suffering from some sort of mental issue and will not want to seek support,” said Lamb.
He said police management needed to be more progressive and show that mental fitness is important to the job. “It is quite a common occurrence for the police to encounter trauma, and hence, they need to take care of their mental fitness and mental support as part of having fit and proper police.
“It is more around positive messaging from the top, which I think is quite important, and also making sure that members won't be discriminated against. They won't be negatively affected if they have to seek counselling,” he said.
He added that a solution could be a partnership with private sector service providers to provide the necessary support, especially in areas where there is a heightened risk of facing trauma.
“I think there is a need for commitment from management that when police seek counselling the results of being affected by trauma will not compromise promotions,” he said.
Meanwhile, Chambers said talking about emotions and feelings is not encouraged in the police force space and it is perceived as a space for the toughest men who are protecting the country and communities.
She said for police to be seen talking about mental health is often seen as a weakness, and the idea of men and mental health is an overriding theme.
“We also understand from all the years as Sadag working with various police stations and police officers and families of police personnel the idea that if they are seen going for help or speaking to a social worker or requesting assistance, there is fear that they are going to be perceived as weak that they are not able to do their job, that they can't handle it,” she said.
According to Chambers, there was also fear of discrimination, fear that they are not going to be promoted, that they are not going to have that confidentiality and they are worried that their superiors would find out if it is on their records.
It is more around positive messaging from the top, which I think is quite important, and also making sure that members won't be discriminated against. They won't be negatively affected if they have to seek counselling.
— Dr Guy Lamb
“That fear is genuine, even in the sense that going to the social worker or even being seen speaking to the social worker could have an impact if someone sees you.
She said the issue of police suicide is triggered by a combination of stresses, and these cases should not be seen in isolation as there is much more to the story that is not always known.
“We know that a combination of issues of working in the police service is incredibly stressful. They are the ones running towards the trauma, the violence, the scary thing that we only hear about in reports,” she said.
She added that they have to deal with the trauma, post-traumatic stress disorders, sleeping disorders, nightmare and perhaps turning to substance abuse to help them cope.
“Then throw in access to weapons, easy access that they have with them all the time, and that is what they are trained to use in daily life to protect themselves.
“Having access to weapons is a big concern, and I think it also comes from that pressure of all these different things happening together,” she said.
Chambers said seeking help should be normalised in the force, including conversations about talking to police officers about mental health.
She said it is really important in the line of work that they are doing and debriefing should be normal.
“When we are working in this very highly volatile, very traumatic environment, I think it is crucial that line managers and supervisors are trained on understanding mental health.
“They should be trained on how to start that conversation with colleagues or officers that they are concerned or worried about and they should be trained on knowing how to initiate or access that support,” she said.
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