In the 2022/2023 period, two SAPS members attempted suicide, and 45 died by suicide. The figures for 2023/2024 were higher, with four attempts and 62 deaths, and for the 2024/2025 period, the number of deaths fell slightly to 54, while suicide attempts increased to six. In the current financial year, there has been one suicide attempt and three confirmed deaths.

These figures highlight a concerning trend, compounded by the ongoing mental health challenges facing SAPS personnel, including burnout and trauma. SAPS’ Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) services are tasked with addressing these issues, but concerns about their effectiveness and resources persist.

In response to these rising numbers, the department has outlined the support provided to members who attempt suicide, which includes hospital admissions, rehabilitation, long-term counselling, trauma debriefing, and work reintegration programs. Additionally, there is a mental health awareness program aimed at empowering members to recognise symptoms and seek support before issues escalate. Family members are also provided with ongoing care, including death notices in cases of suicide.

Despite these interventions, concerns about the adequacy of the EHW programme have led to a national audit and a workshop aimed at improving resources and strategies for mental health support. The results of these initiatives are yet to be fully realised, but a workplace study is currently underway to assess the EHW capacity at both provincial and national levels. This study will help ensure the EHW component is sufficiently funded and staffed to meet the growing demand for its services.

The EHW programme’s staffing remains a critical area of concern. The SAPS has set an ideal staffing ratio of one mental health professional per 500 officers, with chaplains assigned at a ratio of one per 1,000 officers. However, current staffing levels fall short of these targets, particularly in provinces like Gauteng and KwaZulu-Natal, which report significant gaps in social workers, psychologists, and chaplains. Nationally, the gap in ideal staffing stands at 230 personnel, exacerbating the strain on an already overburdened programme.

Efforts to address these shortcomings include a number of proactive wellness initiatives. These include the “Choose Life” program, which encourages officers to seek help after traumatic events, and the “Multiple-Stressor Program” aimed at officers working in high-risk units. Additionally, the “Trauma Management Program” addresses the symptoms of ongoing trauma, while “Emotional and Psychological Readiness Sessions” prepare officers for potentially stressful events, such as protests and riots.

Despite these initiatives, the EHW programme continues to face significant challenges in fulfilling its mandate. The department has acknowledged the gaps in resources and staffing, promising that the findings from the recent workshop will be used to address these issues.

While the SAPS Employee Health and Wellness services have made strides in providing necessary mental health support, the service’s ability to prevent suicides and address the mental health crisis among its members depends on urgent and comprehensive improvements in resources, staffing, and the overall management of the programme. The continued rise in suicides among SAPS personnel indicates that more robust and timely interventions are needed to stem the tide of mental health struggles within the force.

The post South African Police Service Faces Mental Health Crisis as Suicides Continue to Rise appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

With at least 300 officers having ended their own lives since 2017, Cameron questioned the SAPS’ “current capacity in providing ongoing safe, confidential, and specialised mental health support to its members.” He further raised concern about the “adequacy of SAPS’ pre-employment mental and psychological screening procedures and whether they are fit for purpose.”

According to the SAPS 2022/23 annual report, the police employs only 138 psychological professionals, 57 “Quality of Work Life” professionals, 205 social workers, and 190 chaplains, a total of 590 Employee Wellness Programme (EWP) workers. These 590 EWP personnel are responsible for the well-being of over 180 000 SAPS employees, many of whom operate in “extremely high-stress and high-risk environments.” Cameron noted there is currently a 28.7% vacancy rate for councillors within SAPS, emphasising that “capacitating this division presents a significant challenge for top management that must be tackled with the utmost urgency.”

With concerns around the Employee Wellness Programmes being raised as early as 2022, Cameron noted his predecessor on the committee expressed his grave concern regarding the “poor health and wellness services.”

Agreeing that SAPS needed to strengthen their operational capacity, he said it is vital that “we must not neglect the health and well-being of the men and women on the ground who put themselves in harm’s way to keep us safe.” Cameron called for the establishment of “effective, confidential and specialised mental well-being programmes within the SAPS,” urging the Minister of Police Senzo Mchunu to set it as a priority.

Stressing the importance of these programmes, Cameron notes they provide SAPS leadership with an opportunity to “understand and engage with the extreme pressures faced by our boots on the ground.” This would allow for leadership to effectively support their staff through the “extraordinary challenges they face on a daily basis.”

The comments by Cameron followed a shooting in which a police sergeant in Polokwane shot and wounded a former police officer at his house before driving to the station where he gunned down a female brigadier. He then took his own life with his service pistol. The incident is believed to have occurred over a love triangle.

The post Ian Cameron calls for better psycho-social support for SAPS officers appeared first on ProtectionWeb.

It was reported on Sunday, 28 July 2024, a police sergeant in the Westernburg policing district in Polokwane shot a former police officer, and fatally wounded a Brigadier, before taking his own life with his service pistol following the incident.

The surviving victim, a former police officer residing within the same vicinity as the senior officer, was rushed to a nearby hospital where he received medical attention.

The reports suggest the Police Sergeant went to the former Police Officer’s residence, where an altercation ensued. The Sergeant opened fire on him before turning to the female Senior officer, who tried to escape to her car. Unfortunately, the suspect fired several shots at her, killing her. The enraged Police Sergeant climbed into the senior officer’s car before turning the gun on himself.

Since 2017 the SAPS has lost over 300 officers due to suicide and murder-suicide incidents. POPCRU believes “this situation underscores the profound mental and emotional stress that officers experience in their line of duty,” with reports indicating SAPS has one of the highest suicide rates among police services globally.

POPCRU stated the wellbeing of officers cannot be disconnected from the broader environment in which they operate. While the SAPS has introduced Employee Health and Wellness (EHW) programmes aimed at improving the mental well-being of members, results indicate the programs have failed to achieve their objectives.

In their statement, POPCRU indicated their belief that EHW representatives, usually psychologists and priests, “are not doing what is required of them or they do not understand their roles.” The statement further adds, “there are claims of lack of confidentiality, and that there are no regular visits to victims.” There is additionally a stigma amongst officers to make use of the services, due to claims that it will limit “individuals’ upward mobility within the ranks.”

Calling the services “reactive in discharging their duties,” POPCRU stated those who deliver the EHW services “are only seen at the station when there is a problem.”

Another issue facing the EHW services is the lack of familiarity by officers around the services offered. POPCRU calls for “collective responsibility to ensure we promote these services,” hoping members will then understand the impact on their personal lives and at their workplaces.

“We need to work together in ensuring these services are revived and effective.”

Some recommendations made by POPCRU to improve services include ensuring EHW representatives are not reactive in approach, with more frequent visits to police stations, “as opposed to inconsistent visits that are only conducted when there are challenges.”

Confidentiality is another aspect to be strengthened, to assure police officers that their information won’t be compromised.

Lastly, POPCRU urged Police management “to play their role in attending to stress caused by the lack of resources, staff shortages, unfair disciplinary issues and over-indebtedness among others.”

The post POPCRU: 300 SAPS Suicides Since 2017 appeared first on ProtectionWeb.