Force becomes first to offer meditation sessions to stressed-out officers

A force beset by gangland shootings has become the first in the country to help officers struggling with mental health issues through meditation.

Thirteen Greater Manchester Police (GMP) officers have volunteered to train as mindfulness practitioners to help deliver lunchtime secular meditation sessions to their colleagues.

The programme’s aim is to tackle increasing levels of stress and absenteeism, which rose by a fifth between 2013/14 and 2014/15, by relaxing officers and teaching them about their own personal resilience limits.

So far, 250 officers have attended sessions – which have been so successful that several attendees have fallen asleep.

GMP wellbeing lead Chief Superintendent Zoe Sheard said: “My view is that mental health is as important to a police officer as physical health.

“We want them to go out and deal with conflict, but those same people will also have to deal with victims too – with compassion and often in the same incident.

“Mindfulness is just about keeping them fit for each role. There’s nothing mystical in this – it’s just practical.”

The latest figures show that GMP lost 30,766 working days due to sickness absence in 2014/15, with an average of 460 officers off work at any time.

Research estimates that this time off costs the force £17 million per year, and that psychological illness accounts for nearly a third of all sick leave.

This may be related to officers having to deal with high levels of gun crime – 88 firearms discharges have been recorded in Greater Manchester since April 2014.

Almost two thirds of these occurred in the 12 months to April this year, and stemmed from feuds that erupted after the murder of a local gang leader last July.

While some officers have expressed cynicism over the new scheme, others have embraced it, with one officer telling the Manchester Evening News: “If it helps people, it’s got to be worth it.”

A survey published by the Police Federation of England and Wales last month showed that 60 per cent of officers never or rarely feel relaxed, and 62 per cent seldom feel optimistic about their work.

According to Policing Minister Mike Penning, the Government is ‘doing all it can’ to ease stress levels in the service.

Mr Penning said: “We have cut red tape and unnecessary targets to free up police time, given officers discretion to use their professional judgment and are working across government to stop the police having to pick up the pieces when other public services are not available.

“In October 2014, we allocated £10 million to help support emergency services personnel and volunteers, focused on mental health, physical recuperation and bereavement support.”