Justice Minister Costas Fytiris said 114 police officers had turned to the force’s psychological support branch of their own accord over the past five years. Several other officers have seen a private doctor for support.
Fytiris was replying to a question from DISY Famagusta parliament member Nikos Georgiou about what is being done to support police officers’ mental health. Georgiou tabled the question after a police constable died by suicide in Limassol on June 30, after also shooting his wife. Colleagues who rushed to the scene did not know who the victim was.
Police officers often face deeply distressing experiences, gruesome scenes and tragedies, leaving them unable to cope with the human suffering they witness, which takes a toll on them.
The minister said the Human Resources Support Branch, part of the police Human Resources Directorate, is staffed by two trained members who are on the Register of Psychology Graduates. Its job is to promote officers’ mental health and, where needed, restore it.
The branch focuses on prevention. It runs training programmes, seminars and experiential workshops to build resilience, help officers manage work stress and support them through demanding or critical incidents.
It also teaches officers about anxiety, stress, traumatic events, post-traumatic stress disorder, work-related stress and resilience. Over the past five years, it has given lectures at the Cyprus Police Academy totalling 491 teaching hours, attended by more than 2,500 officers. It has also held 11 training sessions and workshops with outside partners, involving 170 officers.
Alongside the training, the branch arranges confidential one-to-one meetings with officers who ask for them, or who are referred by their superiors, but always with the officer’s consent. The meetings take place away from police premises, in the officer’s own district. After critical incidents, branch staff can also contact officers themselves to offer one-to-one meetings or short group sessions.
Seeing a psychologist is voluntary, as Cypriot law does not require officers to do so. Each case is handled individually and in confidence. Appointments, meetings and what is said in them are covered by professional confidentiality, and nothing is recorded in the officer’s personal file.
