Lincolnshire PCC vows to provide more support to officers under investigation
The Police and Crime Commissioner (PCC) for Lincolnshire has vowed to provide more mental health support for officers while they’re under investigation.
Marc Jones (Conservative) said that he’s also working with Lincolnshire Police to provide more support to officers who have experienced traumatic situations.
Members of the Lincolnshire Police and Crime Panel heard that National Police Wellbeing Service already provides mental health support for police officers, but Mr Jones said he’s also working to ensure that officers facing misconduct allegations feel that they’re supported by the force.
At a meeting on Friday, December 12, Coun Jonathan Pessol (Conservative – Hykeham Central), who sits on North Kesteven District Council, asked what the PCC was doing to address mental health issues within policing.
In reply, Mr Jones said: “One of the issues that I was keen to get to the bottom of is that if somebody is under investigation, it doesn’t mean they’re guilty of anything.
“It’s an incredibly stressful time and it can be a very lengthy process – sometimes running into many years.
“What processes and procedures are in place to support officers who are under investigation is something that I think is not as robust nationally or locally as it could be.
“That’s something I’m pushing for at the moment to understand what more we can do around that.”
Mr Jones went on to say that he wants to ensure that officers feel they’re able to perform their duties to the best of their ability.
He added: “If you are a serving officer carrying out your duties to the best of your ability and something goes wrong which leads to you being under investigation, what we don’t want is for you to feel you weren’t supported by the organisation, your mental health to deteriorate.
“Your operational effectiveness, therefore, if you get put back on full duties again, will have diminished.
“I’m very keen to make sure we’re supporting people in that space. When I say ‘we’, I mean the force, not me. That is an area I’m looking at.”
The Lincolnshire PCC has also said that Lincolnshire Police works with local charities and organisations to support officers facing a “build-up of stress, tension, PTSD” and other pressures as a result of their job.