'No police aftercare after my husband's death'

Mimi Conder is calling for mandatory police support for families whose loved ones take their own lives

"We are still going through such a horrendous traumatic time and loss, and we're left alone to navigate it, and it's not OK."

Mimi Conder is calling for mandatory police support for families whose loved ones take their own lives.

She has started a petition calling for the introduction of Jason's Law, named after her late husband, so that bereaved families in cases similar to her own can benefit from the guidance of a family support officer (FLO).

"I just feel like I couldn't grieve because I was so overwhelmed trying to understand what the processes were," she tells the BBC.

Thames Valley Police currently employs FLOs to help explain criminal investigation processes to bereaved families, but this is not applicable in cases of suicide.

If you have been affected by any of the issues raised in this story you can visit BBC Action Line.

Father-of-three Jason died in September 2024

Mimi, from Chinnor, Oxfordshire, describes father-of-three Jason as the "life and soul of the party" with the "brightest blue eyes, [and] loudest cackle you could ever imagine".

"He was always there for everyone, gave his all to his family, especially his children," she says.

"He always struggled but never in my life did I think he would take his own life.

"Because he was always so charismatic and positive and if anything, he was the one lifting other people up when they were low."

When Jason died in September 2024 the family found the immediate aftermath - which involved police questioning and an inquest - confusing and intimidating.

Mimi says: "We weren't provided with any aftercare whatsoever, we weren't given any breakdown of the processes.

"We were completely left alone to the point where I had to Google what an inquest was.

"I also had to find child bereavement services for our children because we weren't even provided with the basics of where to go and who we could speak to, which is heartbreaking when you're already going through so much trauma."

Mimi is now petitioning for Jason's Law

Mimi says she did not expect an FLO to be a "shoulder to cry on".

Instead, the family's petition calls for trained officers to "ensure consistent support, communication, and guidance during investigations, inquests, and the immediate aftermath".

"If I had someone there... then 100% I feel like I would have been able to process it a lot quicker than I did, or am still doing," she explains.

The government responds to all petitions that get more than 10,000 signatures.

Thames Valley Police said: "We recognise the enormous impact suicides have on families, and Thames Valley Police follow National Police Chiefs' Council guidance for deployment of FLOs.

"Suicides are investigated on behalf of the appropriate coroner and are not considered to be suspicious deaths, and so a FLO deployment is not generally required."