A quarter of the police have “suicidal thoughts”, according to a study

The profession is going badly. According to the barometer of the Mutual Security Forces (MGP), consulted by Franceinfo and The world, 24% of responding police officers explain having had suicidal thoughts or heard their colleagues evoking suicidal thoughts during the past twelve months. And the figures showing a deep malaise within the police force do not stop there.

“In twenty-five years, 1,100 police officers have killed themselves, that is 44 people each year on average”, reports the World Benoît Briatte, president of the Mutuelle générale de la police. “The equivalent of a major departmental public security directorate wiped off the map in a generation,” compares the president.

A bad atmosphere at work

The barometer reports more generally that “40% of police officers are in psychological distress”. The most affected would be the 30-34 year olds and according to the study, the causes of this malaise would be various. The lack of time to accomplish the various missions, the difficulties in combining private and professional life as well as the tensions with the population weigh heavily on the morale of the police officers questioned.

But the main cause of this psychological distress would come mainly from a bad atmosphere at work. Many police officers point the finger at an atmosphere between colleagues or a hierarchy that is not listening. When this situation is observed, it is nearly 50% of the police officers concerned who say that they have considered committing suicide.

Faced with this assessment, the Mutual Security Forces is sounding the alarm. According to Franceinfo, Benoît Briatte wishes to encourage and facilitate access to “psychological consultations”, as well as preventive actions in police stations to improve their well-being at work and therefore their psychological health, which must be “at the heart of the debates”.