This was divulged by social worker Thoko Mdaka who is a member of a team of social workers, psychologists and chaplains providing counselling services to police in the Alexandra cluster.
Speaking in her personal capacity, Mdaka said many cases of police suicides nationally were reported in the media in the past, but the number seemed to have decreased significantly in recent times. She said some of the suicides could be caused by stressful conditions in the police’s work environment. “These could include police feeling unwanted and unappreciated despite their good work of securing communities, trauma from daily risks to their lives from criminals and from witnessing colleagues being wounded or dying on duty, unresolved domestic problems and financial hardships.”
She said the only suitable support for these kinds of situations was counselling. “This will stabilise their [police members] emotional state and build their coping mechanisms to stop them from breaking down, and at times killing themselves and others in an act of desperation.”
Mdaka said despite the reduction in suicides, there was still a need for regular counselling support of police members, who left their homes daily not knowing if they would return.
“This on its own is stressful to them, their spouses, children, relatives and friends.”
Counselling would build officers’ resilience and help them not to turn to other destructive methods of coping such as alcohol, substance abuse or the use of weapons to take out their frustrations on their loved ones.
The counselling support is also provided to families in instances of death on duty.
