New statistics show the damning impact of police work on mental health and highlight a clear need for independent leadership and action to support police officers, Managing Director and Founder of The Blue Hope Foundation, Allister Rose says.

“The Government cannot afford to sit back and watch while the mental health in Police families deteriorates, the time for the right interventions and action is now”, says Allister Rose.

There is growing concern about the scale of psychological harm among police officers, a crisis now publicly acknowledged by the Police Association president Chris Cahill, who described mental health as ‘the most pressing issue facing both the Association and Police leadership today’.

The Blue Hope Foundation has encouraged WorkSafe to release its report on psychosocial risks in Police Officers. The report found damning evidence of the scale of the problem:

• 55.9% of officers face high emotional demands
• 52.8% experience violence, threats, or bullying
• 24.5% report constant burnout or stress
• 67.2% score below the psychosocial safety threshold

“These findings expose a system under severe psychological strain, and a clear need for coordinated and independent support systems.

The Blue Hope Foundation is calling on the Government to partner with it through the Suicide Prevention Office to develop a national, independent, trauma-informed mental health model for police, one consistent with New Zealand’s obligations under the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities.

“I created the Blue Hope Foundation in response to this culture. After the loss of three police officers to suicide in a single month in 2023, we established The Ima Project, a peer-led early intervention model that has since prevented at least ten further suicides among police officers and their families.

“We are on the ground supporting police families and we make sure all police workers, serving, retired, or medically sidelined - and their families feel seen, supported, and safe at every stage when they are going through trauma.

The Foundation warns that the Police Association is not equipped or qualified to lead mental health reform within the police service.

“The Police Association is an industrial bargaining body, not a clinical or safety authority and allocating public money to organisations without health or safety capability will not solve this crisis. Independent oversight and rights-based reform will,” said Allister Rose.

“We stand ready to work with the Government to deliver real change to our police officers”, says Allister Rose.

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