A raw deal for police officers
Derek is 36 years old. He is a career police officer. He is married with two teenage daughters. His wife, Sue, is a nurse who now works part-time in the local A & E department.
Sue phoned at the beginning of the week to say that she was worried about Derek. He was coming to see me about headaches. Sue was not worried about the headaches. She was worried about Derek’s stress levels. Derek is not a uniformed police officer. He works in special branch.
I said to him once, “So you chase serious villains, then.” He laughed and said, “Something like that, doc.”
Sue told me that he is involved in counter-terrorism activities. He is working long hours at the moment. He will often get called into work at short notice. Sue does not know when he will be back. He is ratty with the children. He is not sleeping well. Police officers let off steam by drinking. They are nearly as bad as doctors. When men drink together frequently they do they things that men who drink heavily do and so the divorce rate amongst police officers like Derek is high. Derek is not a drinker and his marriage is strong. He has no one to talk to about the strains of his job, apart from Sue, and he is not supposed to talk to her at all. But he does, a little. “Can you help him, doctor, but whatever you do, don’t tell him I have called.”
When Derek arrives he is smiling, “sorry to bother you, doc, had a few headaches, sure it’s nothing to worry about, but the wife was worried…..” So off we tiptoe round the minefield of Derek’s stress. There are no ominous features to the headaches. His BP is normal. His cholesterol, checked last year, is low. He is a non-smoker and drinks very little.
We finally get round to his job. I say, “You told me you were in the special branch, I guess that means terrorists.” He nods. I say, “Are you armed?” He says “Yep. Sometimes.”
He has never drawn his gun, let alone fired it. “Trouble is, doc, who knows what tomorrow brings.”
Here comes a cliché. The police have a difficult job. It is a cliché because it is true. When things go right in police work, which is most of the time, no one notices. When things goes wrong, the police are pilloried. Look at the de Menezes tragedy. Derek was not involved in that but, like most police officers, he knows someone who knows someone who was. Derek worries that one day he will have to draw his gun. He is terrified that one day he may have to make a split second decision about whether or not to shoot it.
I do not know the answer to that. It would be easy if Derek were potty. He is not. I would be more concerned about him if he were NOT worried about the prospects of shooting someone.
Should I refer Derek to the police counselling and support service? There isn’t one. Well, not quite true, Derek tells me. But there is a Catch-22. If he approaches any internal counselling service he fears he will be taken off his current assignment. He does not want to count paperclips in Coventry or be a village PC in Norfolk.
It is not appropriate to refer Derek to the local psychiatric services. A consultation with an OT from the CMHT or which ever well-meaning but psychiatrically untrained soul is currently fronting our appalling psychiatric services would not help. Such a referral would also result in suspension from duty. In any case, he is not psychiatrically ill. I could get him seen privately by one of the excellent local clinical psychologists I know. He can afford the £80 a session. But he does not want to do that. Derek is a tough police officer. He is from the “pull your socks up” school of psychology. He does not “do” stress. And he most certainly does not “do” psychologists and psychiatrists.
Over the years, I have seen stressed police officers on many occasions. It has never been easy to help them. It is even more difficult when they carry a gun which they might have to use. Police officers such as Derek get a raw deal.
There should be a compulsory psychological support system for them all.
Armed police responseSue phoned at the beginning of the week to say that she was worried about Derek. He was coming to see me about headaches. Sue was not worried about the headaches. She was worried about Derek’s stress levels. Derek is not a uniformed police officer. He works in special branch.
I said to him once, “So you chase serious villains, then.” He laughed and said, “Something like that, doc.”
Sue told me that he is involved in counter-terrorism activities. He is working long hours at the moment. He will often get called into work at short notice. Sue does not know when he will be back. He is ratty with the children. He is not sleeping well. Police officers let off steam by drinking. They are nearly as bad as doctors. When men drink together frequently they do they things that men who drink heavily do and so the divorce rate amongst police officers like Derek is high. Derek is not a drinker and his marriage is strong. He has no one to talk to about the strains of his job, apart from Sue, and he is not supposed to talk to her at all. But he does, a little. “Can you help him, doctor, but whatever you do, don’t tell him I have called.”
When Derek arrives he is smiling, “sorry to bother you, doc, had a few headaches, sure it’s nothing to worry about, but the wife was worried…..” So off we tiptoe round the minefield of Derek’s stress. There are no ominous features to the headaches. His BP is normal. His cholesterol, checked last year, is low. He is a non-smoker and drinks very little.
We finally get round to his job. I say, “You told me you were in the special branch, I guess that means terrorists.” He nods. I say, “Are you armed?” He says “Yep. Sometimes.”
He has never drawn his gun, let alone fired it. “Trouble is, doc, who knows what tomorrow brings.”
Here comes a cliché. The police have a difficult job. It is a cliché because it is true. When things go right in police work, which is most of the time, no one notices. When things goes wrong, the police are pilloried. Look at the de Menezes tragedy. Derek was not involved in that but, like most police officers, he knows someone who knows someone who was. Derek worries that one day he will have to draw his gun. He is terrified that one day he may have to make a split second decision about whether or not to shoot it.
“If you shoot a villain, doc, you are a hero. If you shoot the wrong man, you are on your own.”How am I supposed to manage this problem? I see Derek three times over ten days. I am certain he has no serious psychiatric illness. He is not depressed. He has a supportive family. He does not have a drink problem. Already, that makes him better off than some of his colleagues. But does the stress mean his judgement might be impaired in a dangerous situation? Will his training carry him through?
I do not know the answer to that. It would be easy if Derek were potty. He is not. I would be more concerned about him if he were NOT worried about the prospects of shooting someone.
Should I refer Derek to the police counselling and support service? There isn’t one. Well, not quite true, Derek tells me. But there is a Catch-22. If he approaches any internal counselling service he fears he will be taken off his current assignment. He does not want to count paperclips in Coventry or be a village PC in Norfolk.
It is not appropriate to refer Derek to the local psychiatric services. A consultation with an OT from the CMHT or which ever well-meaning but psychiatrically untrained soul is currently fronting our appalling psychiatric services would not help. Such a referral would also result in suspension from duty. In any case, he is not psychiatrically ill. I could get him seen privately by one of the excellent local clinical psychologists I know. He can afford the £80 a session. But he does not want to do that. Derek is a tough police officer. He is from the “pull your socks up” school of psychology. He does not “do” stress. And he most certainly does not “do” psychologists and psychiatrists.
Over the years, I have seen stressed police officers on many occasions. It has never been easy to help them. It is even more difficult when they carry a gun which they might have to use. Police officers such as Derek get a raw deal.
There should be a compulsory psychological support system for them all.
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