The National Police Service has come up with new measures to deal with cases of mental health among police officers.
This is amid reports that about 12,000 police officers are facing mental health challenges out of work-related issues.
The service yesterday said their recent survey on mental status of police officers showed between 12 and 13 per cent of officers have mental issues.
NPS has now partnered with a team of doctors to train senior officers on ways and means of dealing with mental health issues among the rank and file in the police service.
In an event held at the Chiromo Group of Hospitals in Nairobi, Dr Frank Njenga said police officers were at a higher risk of suffering mental disorders owing to the nature of their work.
He blamed the worrying high number of depression cases on the nature of police work.
“The risks they are exposed to place them at a higher risk of mental illness,” he said.
Njenga told the police chiefs to make sure that they engage their juniors regularly to make sure they can detect challenges that can lead to mental disorders.
NPSC chief executive Joseph Onyango said the figures are a reflection of the global trend.
“The mental cases out of the recent assessment is almost trending towards the figure of 12 to 13 per cent of the total population of the officers. It’s trending toward the global figures,” Onyango said.
He said the police employer will support officers undergoing mental health issues. He said in certain instances, deployment and transfer of officers will be subject to the mental health status of the individual.
Deputy Inspector General of Police of APS Noor Gabow said they are paying attention to the issue through various programmes so far rolled out.
He added that they have opened up channels of communication among the officers as part of ways of detecting any form of stress among them.
He also ordered police commanders to always be keen to detect any trigger that may lead to depression, stress or mental illness and act immediately.
He said the Inspector General of Police Hilary Mutyambai had ordered that any mental illness-related case be attended to immediately.
“Check on triggers and act immediately. Bring him or her to hospital or allow him or her to seek medical services,” he said.
Triggers include tough work, financial issues, marriage wrangles, transfers, working far from friends and exposure to stresses.
He added financial management is key in contributing to mental health of officers.
“A police officer is supposed to know everything which affects their status.” he added.
Administration police head of mental health Daniel Muthondeki said the service was also looking into the likelihood of extending their mental health outreach to officers who have left the service.
Muthondeki said many officers had faced mental issues after leaving office.
“Many officers, whether retired or serving, face mental issues after retirement,” he said.
They were all speaking at a training for 60 senior Administration Police Service officers at the Chiromo Hospital Group in Nairobi.
The officers were being trained on how they can detect triggers of stress and mental wellness of their juniors.
This is after there has been a spike of incidents involving police officers, including murder and suicide which have been linked to mental wellness of the officers.