Wigan police officers receive key training as 'grief first aiders'

The force has been working with the charity Cruse Bereavement Support to introduce Grief First Aiders (GFAs).

Chiefs say grief impacts everyone at some point and it can be difficult to access formal support when needed. Everyone grieves differently as an individual and there are many ways it can impact a person emotionally and physically.

This new approach means GMP is leading the way and will be the first police force, and blue light service, to receive specialist bereavement training for officers and staff, who will in turn provide specialised bereavement support and offer a safe space to talk with bereaved colleagues with compassion and understanding.

Examples and benefits of this means it could assist directly following a personal bereavement or one from a scene of a distressing incident, when returning to work, or anytime an individual is struggling.

Experts point out that grief does not have a time frame, and this new initiative looks to emphasise that no-one is ever alone in how they are feeling.

As part of the initial launch of Grief First Aiders, a combined total of 13 officers and staff have already been trained and are now across the force to enable an enhanced level of wellbeing and mental health support both internally and externally when needed, with support mechanisms and procedures in place to be able to act swiftly and dynamically.

Grief First Aiders can provide emotional assistance, connect officers and staff to helpful resources, establish peer support networks, and have difficult conversations around traumatic losses like suicide. They are also trained on self-care to manage their own grief and boundaries when repeatedly exposed to trauma.

A representative from Cruse Bereavement Support Alison Winter said: “Police officers and staff endure an immense amount of grief and trauma throughout their dedicated line of duty to serve and protect the public. Often being that trusted person members of the public encounter not only during their hour of need but when notified of, at times, the news no one wants to hear of losing a loved one.

“The constant grief can have a profound impact on their physical and mental wellbeing. That is why it is extremely important and a priority we act now to provide our first responders with the resource of bereavement support they need to enable them to have enhanced skills to serve our communities with increased compassion and strength.”

One of the volunteers of this project, Sam Martin from GMP’s information management branch, added: “I am very proud to have assisted in bringing in Grief First Aiders, alongside The Wellbeing Volunteer Coordinators’ Abby McEwan, Aisling Rafter and Jean Briggs.

"I volunteered to take part in this project following my own life experiences, and the loss of my elder sister and best friend Sarah in 2012, when she was 27 from cancer. I’m very passionate alongside the Wellbeing Volunteer Coordinators in strengthening bereavement support and destigmatising discussing grief openly.

“We are pleased to be leading the way and aspire to continue training more officers and staff within Greater Manchester Police, which in turn will assist us when serving our communities. The specialist training, we have received has been outstanding from Cruse Bereavement Support, which was delivered by Martin Roddis and Kirsty Slack. The feedback we have gathered already shows how impactful having Grief First Aiders is.”

Doug Sipple, head of occupational health and wellbeing service at GMP said; “At Greater Manchester Police the wellbeing of our officers and staff is one of our key priorities to ensure we can continue to keep our service to a high standard and protect the public as a direct result.

“The support available through our Grief First Aiders is a key tool for our officers and staff to use. This means they can access specialist help when needed whether it is in the line of duty or for personal circumstances.

“We are proud to be a leading force in this area of work, taking a proactive approach to something that will affect us all at some point in our personal and professional lives.”