BREAKING THE SILENCE - WEBINAR SEEK HELP EARLY
On World Suicide Prevention Day, PFEW Wellbeing leads, Hayley Aley and Paul Williams, hosted the webinar with Dr Jess Miller of Cambridge University and Dan Lever, Branch Secretary of Cheshire Police Federation
To support World Suicide Prevention Day (10 September), Breaking the Silence: Conversations about mental health and suicide prevention, coupled with our #AskTwice campaign, was hosted by PFEW wellbeing leads, Hayley Aley and Paul Williams, who were joined by Cheshire Police Federation Branch Secretary Dan Lever and Dr Jess Miller, principal investigator at the University of Cambridge’s Department of Sociology and author of The Policing Mind. We are grateful to the Police Treatment Centres for sponsoring the event.
Dan Lever led by sharing his personal struggle with mental health. As a police officer, he felt immense pressure to suppress his feelings, fearing that admitting his challenges would jeopardise his job. The stigma around mental
health, especially as a male officer, was a significant barrier for him. However, once Dan sought help and
started talking about his struggles, he found that services and support became more accessible. He now uses his experiences to support colleagues as a Federation representative and encourages others to seek help early, warning that waiting only makes it harder. Dr Jess Miller, who has spent 14 years researching police mental health, focused on suicide ideation within the profession. Through her work with The Job and The Life survey, Dr Miller stressed suicidal thoughts among officers are often overlooked. While there has been progress in mental health awareness, she emphasised the need for more proactive approaches in dealing with suicide risks.
Dr Miller’s presentation introduced Suicide Ideation Intelligence, urging a shift in workplace culture. She outlined nine actions for improving mental health support within policing:
• Acknowledging exposure to suicide and trauma
• Recognising vulnerability as a strength • Understanding home pressures • Handling prosecution risks with care • Addressing performance pressures • Navigating pre-retirement challenges • Supporting early help-seeking • Reaffirming personal values
• Developing cognitive strategies to manage difficult thoughts
You can watch all seminars on our YouTube channel:
www.youtube.com/PoliceFederation
11 | POLICE | OCTOBER | 2024
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