Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, what steps her Department is taking to prevent work-related mental illness in the police force.

It is the responsibility of Chief Officers supported by the College of Policing to ensure the welfare of their employees which includes supporting officers with specific welfare needs by signposting to relevant services and additional support.

The Government also takes the issue of police welfare very seriously and has invested in programmes which offer help directly to officers.

In July 2017, the Home Secretary awarded £7.5 million from the Police Transformation Fund over three years to pilot and, if it is successful, fund a dedicated national service to help provide enhanced welfare support. The Government has also awarded £7 million since 2014, using funds from the LIBOR fines imposed on banks, to the mental health charity Mind, which has funded targeted support and programmes for emergency services via their Blue Light Wellbeing Programme.