ANNUAL CONFERENCE
members Richie Murray and Paul Williams, and Hampshire Police Federation Chair Spencer Wragg, examining the link between investigations and police suicide. The statistics were chilling:
• 34 officers have taken their own lives while under investigation
• 120 reported suicidal thoughts in the same period
• 71 of those were simultaneously under investigation
“This is not an irregularity,” Mr Murray said. “It is a tragic trend.” Mr Williams highlighted the absurdity
and cruelty of prolonged investigations: “A criminal could be arrested, prosecuted, serve a sentence and be released quicker than a police officer is investigated by their own force.” Mr Wragg, who has bravely shared his own suicidal experiences, was equally direct: “Suicide doesn’t care what rank you are. It affects all of us.” All three slammed the lack of a national
welfare standard outlining how it’s a system of 43 chief constables with 43 different priorities, meaning police officers face a postcode lottery when it comes to the level of support they receive.
Solutions from the panel included:
• Mandatory recording of suicides and attempts
• Immediate risk assessments when misconduct papers are served
• A national minimum welfare standard • Wider adoption of the Stay Alive suicide-prevention app
The panel closed with a plea to dismantle the “tough old cop” stereotype. “They are vulnerable,” Mr Williams said. “They need care and understanding.”
NATIONAL CHAIR TIFF LYNCH: “THE JOB ISN’T BROKEN. THE SYSTEM IS.” National Chair Tiff Lynch delivered a keynote that many delegates described as the most powerful speech given at a Federation Conference in a decade. She opened with the stark truth: “We’ve
had too many funerals. Too many wakes. Too many anniversaries.” Ms Lynch demanded a new national
responsibility for officer suicide, including the mandatory recording of suicide and attempts via RIDDOR, mandatory adoption of the STEP prevention programme and a reformed misconduct system no longer linked to officer deaths. The STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign is a new national initiative aimed at tackling the rising number of police officer suicides and exposing the often-unseen trauma officers face when repeatedly attending suicide incidents. With 242 suicides among serving officers and PCSOs
recorded between 2011 and 2022 – and a further estimated 80 cases among serving and former officers from 2021 to 2024 – the campaign highlights a growing crisis in policing mental health. Led by Hampshire Police Federation
Chair Spencer Wragg, whose own lived experience of a near-suicide crisis drives the campaign, STEP calls for urgent cultural and structural change. Its priorities include breaking the silence around suicide-related trauma, improving awareness of the psychological risks, and introducing practical reforms such as mandatory TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) interventions for any officer attending a suicide. STEP will also press chief officers, MPs and Peers to recognise the scale of the issue and ensure meaningful, consistent support for officers routinely exposed to these distressing events. Ms Lynch also revealed a major step
forward: PFEW’s amendment to the Policing and Crime Bill, led by Lord Bailey of Paddington, is now tabled in Parliament. This is the first time suicide recording could become a legal requirement.
A NEW LEADERSHIP CULTURE: “YOU CAN’T FIX A BROKEN RECORD BY PLAYING IT LOUDER.” Ms Lynch challenged past behaviours - in policing, politics and even the Federation
15 | POLICE | DECEMBER | 2025
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