Tributes paid after sudden death of WYP officer
Tributes have been paid to a West Yorkshire Police officer who is believed to have taken his own life after suffering from depression.
Chief Inspector Phillip Bates, who was head of neighbourhood policing and partnerships in Wakefield, died on Thursday, January 23 at the age of 38.
He joined the force in 2003 and had risen through the ranks.
His funeral took place at Nab Wood Crematorium in Shipley on Monday (February 10) and several former colleagues took to social media to pay tribute.
Writing on Twitter, Sergeant Katie Madden said: “Yesterday I said goodbye to my friend and colleague of 17 years. He had a huge turnout yet felt so lonely and isolated that the black dog was too much for him.
“Please reach out before it’s too late, the black dog can be trained. Depression and anxiety are real. Men… talking is not weak!”
Last week, the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) launched new campaign to coincide with ‘Time to Talk Day’ – a national awareness day to get people talking and break the silence around mental health problems.
The PFEW campaign asks officers to be on the lookout for signs that colleagues might be struggling with their mental health, or even be one of the 25 per cent of emergency workers who have considered taking their own life.
Hear ‘Man Up’, Think ‘Man Down’ urges officers to look deeper and consider whether a colleague being told to ‘man up’ in fact genuinely needs help.
