A review exploring wellbeing interventions for police personnel in the UK: what support is available?

Police personnel are frequently exposed to traumatic situations, distressing interactions, and difficult case details, placing them at risk of psychological difficulties such as stress, burnout, anxiety, depression, secondary traumatic stress, and post-traumatic stress. Because different roles and responsibilities can lead to varying trauma responses, support and interventions should be tailored to the specific mental health challenges associated with these roles. Our review of mental wellbeing interventions for police personnel in the UK identified 73 interventions. Of these, only three were designed specifically for police staff and six for police officers, while the remaining 64 targeted both groups. Fifty-one interventions focused on prevention, ten were direct responses to mental health challenges, and twelve addressed both prevention and response. Interventions were categorized as personal, professional, or organizational approaches. However, concerns about accessibility highlight the need for timely action to better support police personnel.