Psychological therapy for policemen and women especially those who have been involved in traumatic events such as a mass shooting is not readily available, but according to psychologist Dr Faith Harding it is a necessity as police work is associated with a lot of stress and frustration, the effects of which can be felt in the home environment.
In a recent interview with Stabroek News Dr Harding said there is need for at least one therapist within the force to administer therapy sessions to ranks on a weekly basis.
She said there is a saying that policemen are the worst abusers in their homes because of the frustrations of being on the force, the things that they see and the things to which they are exposed. “If you don’t have therapy you can practise some of those behaviours that you are supposed to be protecting society from,” she said, while mentioning that there is a lot of stress associated with being in the military and other service oriented professions as well.
She said too that prior to being recruited, ranks ought to undergo a psychological test which could potentially help to reduce some of the bad habits and criminal activity that is being seen among the members of the force.
The issue of therapy has been raised more than once over the years. In 2009, at a three-day police conference, this was one of the areas discussed; however, it is unclear what came out of those discussions.
Asked recently if anything is being done for ranks who have witnessed a traumatic event such as the Middle Street shooting which left several persons dead including two policemen, Crime Chief Seelall Persaud said that action is only taken if behavioural changes are noticed.
He told Stabroek News that it is only when this happens that the force sees the need for intervention. He explained that it is the supervising officer who would notice signs such as withdrawal, and when this is brought to their attention, the ranks would get the necessary treatment.
Persaud said that behavioural changes as a result of being involved in incidents such as that in Middle Street rarely happen, and expressed the view that this may be a result of the training and the exposure that ranks receive.
However former police commissioner Winston Felix viewed the situation differently. He believes that psychological counselling is a necessity and should be considered by the force.
He told Stabroek News that in advanced societies therapy for the police is routinely given. He observed, however, that Guyana only got into the mode of traumatic killings after 2002, and prior to that there were only “one-off incidents.”
Felix said that studies around the world have shown that the intervention of counselling for those involved in confrontations is recommended, even if these are not as serious as Middle Street and are just one-on-one situations.
The former police chief also regarded psychological evaluation at recruitment and intermittently as necessary. It is being noticed, said Felix, that there are too many reactions by policemen who don’t look too balanced. People under psychological trauma often don’t know that they are affected, he continued, and you first have to get someone to evaluate your condition to understand what is happening.
He said that with regard to the ranks at Middle Street they wouldn’t even know the effect the incident would have on them.
Felix also expressed the view that the Joint Services should have a system in place for all ranks, as post-traumatic stress disorder should be of concern. “We don’t know about it here. We feel that after these incidents we are okay,” he said.
A police source said that this issue has been raised repeatedly with the hierarchy of the force. He said that while nothing in terms of counselling is happening within the Guyana Police Force, psychological therapy is available in forces around the world.
“Some policemen go to [a] bloody scene and there is no one that they can go and talk to,” the source said, noting that this ought to be a feature of a modern police force.
It was explained that there are isolated cases where ranks are sent to psychiatrist Dr Bhiro Harry for psychiatric treatment.
The source said that he disagrees with this arrangement as the ranks are not “mad” but are actually suffering from post-traumatic stress and would need to speak about their feelings as opposed to being prescribed medication.
“The police don’t need medication but psychological counselling. We [the force] take a lot of things for granted,” the source said, adding that it is possible that such trauma can affect a rank’s personal life.
