Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what mental health support is available to police officers; and how that support is promoted to officers.

This Government takes very seriously the mental health of the police workforce and we are committed to making improvements in wellbeing support for officers and staff. Through the Police Covenant we have made significant progress on our initial priorities, including delivering pre-employment mental health support for the police workforce, launching a family support pack, improving occupational health standards in all forces and appointing a Chief Medical Officer for policing.

We also continue to fund the National Police Wellbeing Service (NPWS). The service is helping forces and individuals to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as putting in place support for those who need it in response to traumatic events.

The Home Office also provided funding to establish and run the first year of a 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Support line for current and former members of the police workforce. The NPWS will introduce the new independent and confidential support line imminently. This will be a dedicated phone line for policing staffed by qualified counsellors who have specialised training in crisis intervention and suicide prevention. The line will initially be available to all police officers and staff within the North East Region, with the view to expanding to all regions in England and Wales in 2025.