Here’s how it works
- Whatever your role in policing, the Mental Health Crisis Line is for you.
- If you’re in crisis, the line provides in-the-moment support to help keep you safe and stable.
- If you call the number, you’ll speak to a qualified counsellor trained in suicide prevention and experienced in helping those who work in the emergency services. The call handlers understand the lived experience of police staff and officers – but it’s an independent line and completely separate from policing.
- Call handlers will be able to signpost you to more support if needed. But no information is shared with your force or line manager – it is 100% confidential.
- This is not a referral service for members of the public.
About the Mental Health Crisis Line
Daily life is tough. And on top of that, policing can expose you to stress, trauma, and high-pressure situations – it's common for this to have an impact on your mental health.
You don’t have to face difficult times alone. This 24/7/365 line is specifically for police officers and staff, who are in crisis, providing a safe space to talk and receive support from qualified, independent counsellors.
It's totally confidential.
Crisis Line partners
The Crisis Line is being delivered in partnership with TASC, The Ambulance Staff Charity, who have delivered a similar service for ambulance staff and fire and rescue staff. The Crisis Line is staffed with independent, expert counsellors trained in suicide prevention who understand policing.
It's been tried and tested
We've worked with police forces across the North East region to pilot the Mental Health Crisis Line for us. The pilot ran for 12-months. This allowed us to test it, and refine it and demonstrate the clear demand for the service. Now, we're making it available to ALL police forces in England and Wales.
Why the Crisis Line is so important
Service Director for the National Police Wellbeing Service, Andy Rhodes:
Policing is a unique and rewarding career, but sometimes very challenging. It’s a profession associated with high levels of stress, fatigue and trauma exposure. This can take its toll on your mental health.
But things can get really tough for lots of different reasons – it’s not always about the job. Our officers and staff deserve to have access to reliable mental health support when they’re in crisis – no matter the cause.
Our pilot of this line has shown the importance of providing timely support for those experiencing a mental health crisis or suicidal thoughts. We’re proud to be able to provide this service nationwide now so that everyone in policing has a safe space to go when they’re in crisis and can access confidential and independent support.
The line provides police officers and staff with immediate support when they’re in crisis. It will save lives.
Our suicide prevention work
Suicide prevention matters, which is why we launched our National Suicide Action Plan for policing.
It aims to educate and support the workforce, reduce stress and improve data recording. The action plan intends to help create a culture that supports mental health, tackles stigma and ensures everyone affected by suicide or suicidal thoughts is able to access appropriate and timely support. It can be accessed here.
In addition to the Mental Health Crisis Line, there’s specialist bereavement counselling already on offer, designed to help those affected by the suicide of a colleague.
If you work for a police force and want to access the Mental Health Crisis Line communications toolkit for forces, please click here.