A harrowing and moving video has been released by a police federation documenting the impact on police officers who have lost loved ones to suicide - including a police sergeant who lost her dad to suicide aged 12.
Between 2011 and 2021, 210 police officers died by suicide in England and Wales, which is an average of 19 officers dying by suicide every year.
This includes 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 North Yorkshire, this is no different, with an emotive video being released by the North Yorkshire Police Federation, urging officers to break the silence around mental health and suicide.
The video shows officers of North Yorkshire Police officers sharing their personal experiences with suicide, encouraging others to speak out and seek support.
Released in honour of this year's World Suicide Prevention Day (September 10), the video is a heartfelt plea to break down the barriers that prevent officers from addressing their mental health struggles.
Among those featured is Sergeant Elaine Malcolm, a Federation member who opens up about losing her father, Alan, to suicide when she was just 12 years old.
Now, Elaine leads the Darlington group of Survivors of Bereavement by Suicide (SOBS), a national charity offering support to those grieving such a loss.
Reflecting on her father's death, Elaine said: “I often think about what things would have been like now if my dad was still alive, and what would be different if someone had asked if he was okay and checked on him.
She ends by urging everyone to take action: “Ask people if they’re okay. Ask your friends, ask your family, ask them twice, ask them four times if it’s going to prevent them from being in the same boat as my family.”
Secretary of North Yorkshire Police Federation Helen Scholefield, who is also the branch’s mental health and welfare lead, also courageously shared her battle with depression.
She said: “In North Yorkshire, in the past five or six years, we’ve lost several 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.”
Later in the video, there is a powerful story of North Yorkshire Police Federation's Janine Mitchell, who lost her brother Jamie to suicide 21 years ago when he was 18.
“It devastated me and my entire family,” said Detective Inspector Janine.
“It’s something I still find difficult to talk about, but we must have those conversations and start talking about it.”
Another harrowing account of suicide sees Federation member PC Pierre Olesqui talk about losing his best friend, Mick ‘Aky’ Atkinson to suicide in 2018.
“I didn’t pick up on the signs,” Pierre said.
“I didn’t ask him the questions. I kick myself every day regarding it.”
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.
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“One particular day I had gone for a walk,” he said. “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.”
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