The focus on protecting police wellbeing is more of a priority now than ever, Invercargill area response manager Senior Sergeant Brent Kingsland says.
‘‘A lot of the general public don’t realise what we see on a day-to-day basis. Nothing can mentally prepare you for seeing what you do on the job.’’
Last year, Southland police dealt with several major traumatic events, including three homicide investigations, one attempted murder and nine reported robberies and burglaries within the space of about three months.
From attending fatal road accidents to homicides, family harm callouts and mental health-related incidents, bearing witness to distressing events was a ‘‘regular’’ part of the job, he said.
Many he felt were too graphic to share with readers.
‘‘We’re only as equipped as our training. Dealing with what we do every day, it’s not something you can just switch off.
‘‘We’re only human, we’ve got feelings, emotions, families.’’
After 18 years in the job, coping with trauma had got ‘‘a little bit easier’’.
However, no matter how experienced police were, ‘‘things still get to you’’, Snr Sgt Kingsland said.
‘‘There’s no easy way to do it but as long as you talk about it ... the days where you most come unstuck is when you haven’t got that person to talk to and you bottle it all up within yourself.’’
Now managing front-line police in Invercargill, one of his main priorities was making sure his officers were supported in their roles.
‘‘We do a lot of that in-house. After one particular incident, I got up in front of the team and just said, ‘in the past I’ve said I was OK and I wasn’t’ ... it’s about being honest about how we’re feeling, there’s no shame in that.’’
Staff were provided with ‘‘an awesome service’’ through the police ensuring an officer’s welfare was always cared for, he said.
