Approach to mental health has evolved, Timmins police say
The Timmins Police Service says as conversations around mental health evolve, so has its approach to supporting its officers, who often deal with high levels of stress, including encountering traumatic scenes.
And where police culture often called for “sucking it up,” the approach now “is let it out.”
“Today, that’s what we’re trying to do, is encourage people to do something about their mental well-being,” said Brenda Beaven from Timmins police.
“That means that, if they’re struggling, asking for help, or if they are doing well, how are they doing well? What are the things they are doing well? And encouraging each other to continue doing well.”
“We can’t let this job wreck our employees,” said police spokesperson Marc Depatie.
“We have to do what we can to make them aware that there are resources that can prevent them from falling into, perhaps, PTSD situations or becoming a substance-abused person.”
As a former officer himself, Depatie said he’s noticed officers are more encouraged to ask for help.
If it’s a particularly traumatic case, officials said a peer support group will help the officer talk through what happened, discuss coping skills and steps for further support.
Also critical, Depatie and Beaven said, is making sure fellow officers feel comfortable talking to each other about their struggles and be kind to one another.
“These burdens that tend to eat away at you, they’re made on public display,” Depatie said.
“So that your colleagues can appreciate, ‘he had a tough day and this is how he’s dealing with it. Maybe I can lend a hand.’”
“It’s about allowing space for those conversations to come about,” Beaven added.
“And the more people do talk about it, the more comfortable people become with it.”
This is all in hopes of avoiding younger officers losing their passion for policing — and seasoned officers becoming jaded.
Instead, the goal is to offer them support system so that they can do their best work and return home in a better state of mind.
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
B.C. seeks ban on public drug use, dialing back decriminalization
The B.C. NDP has asked the federal government to recriminalize public drug use, marking a major shift in the province's approach to addressing the deadly overdose crisis.
More than 115 cases of eye damage reported in Ontario after solar eclipse
More than 115 people who viewed the solar eclipse in Ontario earlier this month experienced eye damage after the event, according to eye doctors in the province.
Toxic testing standoff: Family leaves house over air quality
A Sherwood Park family says their new house is uninhabitable. The McNaughton's say they were forced to leave the house after living there for only a week because contaminants inside made it difficult to breathe.
Decoy bear used to catch man who illegally killed a grizzly, B.C. conservation officers say
A man has been handed a lengthy hunting ban and fined thousands of dollars for illegally killing a grizzly bear, B.C. conservation officers say.
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau on navigating post-political life, co-parenting and freedom
Sophie Gregoire Trudeau says there is 'still so much love' between her and Prime Minister Justin Trudeau, as they navigate their post-separation relationship co-parenting their three children.
Last letters of pioneering climber who died on Everest reveal dark side of mountaineering
George Mallory is renowned for being one of the first British mountaineers to attempt to scale the dizzying heights of Mount Everest during the 1920s. Nearly a century later, newly digitized letters shed light on Mallory’s hopes and fears about ascending Everest.
An emergency slide falls off a Delta Air Lines plane, forcing pilots to return to JFK in New York
An emergency slide fell off a Delta Air Lines jetliner shortly after takeoff Friday from New York, and pilots who felt a vibration in the plane circled back to land safely at JFK Airport.
'I was scared': Ontario man's car repossessed after missing two repair loan payments
An Ontario man who took out a loan to pay for auto repairs said his car was repossessed after he missed two payments.
First court appearance for boy and girl charged in death of Halifax 16-year-old
A girl and a boy, both 14 years old, made their first appearance today in a Halifax courtroom, where they each face a second-degree murder charge in the stabbing death of a 16-year-old high school student.