“
The mobilization against suicides must be permanent
”.
While seven police officers have killed themselves since the beginning of the year, Frédéric Veaux, the director general of the National Police (DGPN), brought together unions on Thursday, on the theme of the prevention of suicides in its ranks.
The objective: to establish an assessment of the already existing systems and to discuss new initiatives.
Thierry Clair, Deputy Secretary General of the UNSA-Police union, returns to the tracks mentioned during the meeting with Frédéric Veaux.
Extend the “
Sentinels
” system and the training of agents
Above all, the director of police wanted to emphasize the prevention of psychotraumatic risks for police officers.
“
He announced that he wanted to extend the Sentinels network which was currently being tested in certain departments
”, Thierry Clair tells us.
Deployed during 2020, the "
Sentinels
" agents are agents whose mission is to listen, identify people at risk of suicide, and direct them to professional help.
If today they number 41, the NPD wants to assign an agent to 60-70 employees, and at least one service by 2022. "
For this, we must train more so more officials detect situations psycho traumatic
“warns Thierry Clair.
Frédéric Veaux also wishes to develop partnerships with external structures at the local level.
Sport to break “
isolation
”
According to a barometer from the Mutuelle des forces de sécurité (MGP), 40% of police officers are in psychological distress.
It is often evoked a feeling of deep loneliness.
It is absolutely necessary “to
break this isolation
”, launches Thierry Clair.
Sports practice was mentioned during the meeting by the director of police, who wants to strengthen it.
For Thierry Clair, this practice is positive both "
for the hygiene and health of the policeman
", but also for "
relationships
".
“
During the sessions, the police are no longer in uniform, which can allow them to communicate better.
This creates cohesion between the agents
,” he adds.
Read alsoHow the state is struggling to respond to police suicide
However, this measure remains little applied in the ranks of the police.
If the police are authorized by the texts to take two hours a week to play sports, the reality remains different: "
They
often have their heads in the handlebars, most do not have time to take their hours
", explains the union member .
Facilitate agent mobility
Finally, the director of the police called for strengthening the already existing retraining mechanisms.
"
To make them known, on the one hand, and to facilitate them, on the other hand
", specifies Thierry Clair.
The mobility of agents, their lay-off and contractual termination were mentioned.
"
It can just as well concern the policeman who has realized that this job was not made for him, or the one who no longer finds meaning in his job, or the civil servant who is distraught in the face of the difficulties encountered
", details the union member.
Read alsoSuicide prevention in the police: “colleagues” on the front line
Many tragedies are also linked to budgetary problems. “
Very often, there are financial situations behind. The policeman had fallen into nothingness: professionally he had no perspective, on the family level it was no longer going, and financially, it was chaos, ”
says the union member. So “
obviously, for suicide, it is not availability or sport that will solve the problems, but it is listening and people mobilized and made aware
”, he nuances. "
It is by working on all these axes that we must find the means to limit these tragedies
".
Historical police associations and mutuals were also invited this Friday, January 21.
The measures decided by the management should be announced at the beginning of next week.
