Inspector General of Police Douglas Kanja has said depression affects all people regardless of age or social status, but police officers report higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population.
He said police work is a very noble career because one gets to serve and protect humanity. However, the nature of policework as shown by research globally, is also very demanding and stressful.
He made the remarks at an event organised by the Disability Mainstreaming Foundation of Kenya (DMF-Kenya) and the Africa International University on mental health advocacy.
He said the meeting gave them a good opportunity to highlight the urgent need for attention to mental health issues and encourage evidence-based research to inform our policies on mental health, particularly for police officers.
As NPS, we look forward to the execution of the Disability Mainstreaming Foundation of Kenya’s planned series of trainings on mental health.
Kanja said the gathering underscored their concerted collaborative efforts to address mental illness.
This follows increased cases of mental health among police officers in the country.
While all people are vulnerable to some level of mental illness, the vulnerability of police officers to mental illness is escalated by unique factors, he said.
He said police officers are constantly handling traumatic and disturbing scenes of crime and accidents that often leave them with long-term mental and psychological trauma.
“Consequently, police officers worldwide tend to commit suicides more than the general public. On the same note, depression affects all people regardless of age or social status, but police officers report higher levels of depression and post-traumatic stress disorder than the general population,” he said.
Relatedly, Kanja said, they are now seeing an increasing trend among the youth and children engaging in substance use and drug abuse yet police officers have not been spared either, despite being the law enforcers.
“From the consumption of illicit brew to abuse of drugs, i.e. bhang, heroin and other substances contribute significantly to mental illness and criminal behaviour.”
Unfortunately, he added, most law enforcement officers shy away from seeking mental health assistance, which delays possible interventions in their situations. Kanja said due to these realities and the prevalent challenges, mental health remains a pertinent issue in our country, and of particular concern to the National Police Service.
To deal with mental illness, the National Police Service has been undertaking deliberate measures by adopting a multi-pronged approach, he said.
He argued the congregation provides a much-needed platform where we can share ideas and information on mental health.
He said the stigmatisation that comes with mental illness is still a hurdle that all of us should strive to overcome.
“This calls for continuously creating awareness about mental health and mental illness among the members of the public and most importantly, police officers,” he said.
He said all should challenge misconceptions, stereotypes and negative perceptions surrounding mental health to create an environment where individuals feel comfortable to seek help and support without fear of discrimination.
He said they have established the Directorate of Chaplaincy and Counseling to spearhead and coordinate professional counselling and psychosocial support for officers.
Through partnerships with medical institutions and the provision of medical cover, police officers are also able to access psychosocial support but much more is required.
Kanja said he is focused on transforming police stations into centres of excellence for service delivery to the public.
This, among others, calls for training of officers to standardize their service and enhance professionalism.
“With proper training, Kenyans should be able to access services at police stations regardless of their social status.”
“However, apart from training, addressing the mental well-being of officers plays a central role in the transformation of police stations into centres of excellence, we need mentally stable officers to serve and protect members of the public,” he said.
He said the transformative task, however, cannot be left to the police alone, amidst limited resources such as trained professionals and infrastructure.
“We need partnerships with everybody, from members of the community to development partners, from academic institutions to hospitals and many other experts.”
Top police commanders attended the meeting. Dozens of police officers have died as a result of suicide or killed many in a trend that is attributed to stress at work.
As part of efforts to address the trend, police authorities have launched counselling services and the National Police Service Commission has established a unit and staffed it to attend to their demanding situation.
The counselling unit will, among other things, evaluate, design and lead an outreach programme that helps prevent mental health and substance abuse.
At least three suicide cases involving police officers are recorded every month. Officials say police are generally on the receiving end of all community problems.
They are expected to maintain law and order in very difficult situations, besides putting their lives at risk.
Over the years, a spike in deaths in the service has been linked to trauma.
They include deaths by gun.
