'It catches up with us': Police officer speaks out on mental health toll

Sgt Pete Andrews said he eventually had to seek help with his mental health

A front line police officer in Lincolnshire has spoken about the toll of the job on his mental health.

Sgt Pete Andrews, a response officer for 20 years, said officers can often "bottle up" the pressure for years.

He said he had to seek support after one "horrific" incident, and called on colleagues to be more aware when they needed help over their mental health.

The Lincolnshire force is taking part in a campaign to help officers better deal with the stresses of the job.

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Sgt Andrews, who is based in Sleaford, said being the first on the scene to most incidents was "physically and mentally" demanding.

"It might be a murder, it might be someone wanting to harm themselves. It might be a child that's been injured, or even worse," he said.

"It might be going afterwards to tell the family of those incidents, which I personally find worse than going to the actual incidents."

"In a conversation we can literally destroy somebody's life, if you like, because their life will never be the same after it - and you're the person who has to do that. They're the incidents I remember most."

Lincolnshire Police is taking part in a campaign to help officers better deal with stress

'Bottle it up'

Figures obtained by the BBC in 2019 under the Freedom of Information Act showed more than 5,000 police officers, serving with 29 out of the UK's 48 forces, took time off sick for mental health reasons during 2018-19, compared with just over 4,300 in 2014-15.

Based on his own experiences, Sgt Andrews said colleagues had to be better aware when they needed to ask for help with their mental health.

"You don't deal with it. We just bottle it up and bottle it up and then it catches up with us years later," he said.

"I didn't recognise those signs that I had not looked after myself emotionally.

"We have to be really conscious of that, and I think the force as a whole is better than what we used to be. I think the whole country recognises mental health more than it used to," he added.

For more information on organisations that can help if you have been affected by any of the issues raised, visit BBC Action Line..