Examining Police Wellbeing. Episode 3

In this episode I talk with former Police Superintendent Andrea Quinton. She spent 30 years with Greater Manchester Police, including two as a Special Constable, and has worked in most areas of the service including response, neighbourhood policing, CID, prisoner processing, proactive policing, and training. She was a Tactical Firearms Commander with the North West Armed Policing Collaboration. A passionate believer in personal development, she is also a trained mentor and coach, having completed her Level 7 Certificate and Diploma in Executive Coaching and Mentoring.In a wide ranging interview we talk about the issues her recent blog raised and whether police wellbeing should be treated as a critical incident. TRIGGER WARNING ⚠️ These podcasts examine and discuss suicide and associated trauma. If you have been affected by anything in these podcasts, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123For several years now, the levels of mental health and well-being within the UK police have been in decline. Many will argue that this is a result of an ever-increasing workload, a reduction in capacity and experience, underfunding, and a perception that social and mainstream media proactively portray a negative narrative of law enforcement within the UK.Additionally, lenient sentencing, poor organizational practices, and the disproportionate time spent on officers under investigation have contributed to create a perfect storm. In this short series of podcasts, I will be looking at the rising trend of police officers taking their own lives. I will be speaking with a variety of people to put a spotlight on police suicide, the reasons behind it, and hopefully how we can halt its rise.