North Yorkshire Police Officers Open Up About Mental Health and Suicide

Officers from North Yorkshire Police have released a video in which they talk openly about their experiences of suicide.

The emotional film has been released on World Suicide Prevention Day and is a heartfelt plea to break down the barriers that prevent people from addressing their mental health struggles.

In the film Sergeant Elaine Malcolm speaks about losing her father.

A powerful and deeply moving video has been released by North Yorkshire Police Federation, urging officers to break the silence around mental health and suicide.

The film is being released today on World Suicide Prevention Day.

Detective Inspector Janine Mitchell speaks about losing her brother.

Between 2011 and 2021, 210 police officers died by suicide in England and Wales*. That’s an average of 19 officers dying by suicide every year. In England, there were 155 male officers and 26 female officers of the rank of sergeant and below, and 15 senior male officers who died by suicide in that period. In Wales, 13 male and two female officers ranked sergeant and below, and one senior male police officer died by suicide.

Secretary of North Yorkshire Police Federation Helen Scholefield, who is also the branch’s mental health and welfare lead, was instrumental in creating the video, courageously sharing her battle with depression. She said:

“In North Yorkshire, in the past five or six years, we’ve lost a number of officers, particularly male officers, to suicide, and I wanted to try to do something about it. It’s somewhere I have been myself, and it’s something I feel very strongly about.

“There is still a stigma around mental health, particularly in policing. We think that because we are police officers, we are strong people who go and rescue someone else, that we don’t need help, that we get our chin up, and that we crack on with our jobs.  But that’s not necessarily the case. The truth is, mental health issues can strike anyone - even us, as police officers.”

The video, which has been produced by XPR Communications Ltd, showcases the stories of several officers who are highly respected and who have boldly chosen to speak out.

Helen adds:

“By sharing their struggles, they're showing that anyone can be affected,”

“I’m incredibly proud of the team for opening up so candidly. It’s by no means an easy thing for us to do, but one of the ways we are going to reduce the number of suicides is by talking about it.

“The key to reducing the numbers of suicides is by creating safe environments and by saying it is okay to talk.”

In the film, Federation member PC Pierre Olesqui talks about losing his best friend, Mick ‘Aky’ Atkinson to suicide in 2018

The film finishes with Federation representative, Firearms Sergeant Nev Chambers telling his personal story of how his life was ‘spiralling out of control’ before a life-changing incident while on a walk.

He said:

“One particular day I had gone for a walk. Sat on a bench, an old lady was sat at the side of me talking to me and her dog jumped on my knee.

It started licking my face and for some reason, I just burst into tears. It was like someone had just pulled a plug on all my emotions and I couldn’t stop crying.

Looking back, had it not been for that dog licking my face, as stupid as that sounds, and that lady sitting there talking to me, I think I wouldn’t be here now. In fact I know I wouldn’t be here now.”

The full video can be seen below.

Samaritans say that a recent poll found that only 45% of people feel comfortable talking to family and friends about suicidal thoughts, compared to 74% who said they feel comfortable talking about mental health.

They say:

"We want to change this. By talking more openly about suicide, we can give people the chance to express how they feel and get the support they need. It could even save a life.

On #WSPD we’re sharing some top tips for how you can help make a change:

What Should People Do

• Watch out for changes in behaviour that could mean someone’s having suicidal thoughts
• Speak up to let someone know that there is support available
• Play your part by reaching out to anyone you’re concerned about
• Ditch the stigma – suicidal thoughts are far more common than most people know – so let’s talk about it!"

There is more information and support at https://www.samaritans.org/support-us/campaign/world-suicide-prevention-day/