SINGAPORE – As a police officer, he had to tell a woman that her husband was dead.

The distressing news left the woman hysterical, and it also affected the officer psychologically, triggering his own past trauma.

The officer soon found that he was unable to continue breaking such news to the loved ones of people who had died, which impacted his performance at work.

He sought help from the Police Psychological Services Department (PPSD), which then provided the necessary counselling and psychological resources for him to get back on his feet.

Speaking to the media during an engagement session on Dec 19, principal psychologist Ho Hui Fen, an assistant director at the PPSD, said the officer was later able to overcome his difficulties and handle the delivery of such news.

“In safe keeping and protecting the nation, police officers operate in a demanding and high-performing environment,” she said.

“The PPSD has been providing morale and psychological well-being support to officers for the past 30 years.”

Psychological services were first provided for police officers in 1993, but the Police Psychological Unit was officially formed only in 1996.

The unit started small, offering stress management training and counselling services. It evolved over the years into the PPSD, which provides support programmes, training and frameworks to build the resilience of officers.

The PPSD also has a counselling helpline to support officers who face problems in their personal lives or at work, including instances of workplace harassment and bullying.

Ms Ho said all conversations are kept confidential unless there is a risk of harm, so she was unable to share details about the cases handled by the PPSD.

She did reveal that one of the longest cases she handled spanned more than 11 years.

The PPSD also helps train para-counsellors – volunteers from within the Singapore Police Force (SPF) who are professionally trained in basic counselling skills to provide a listening ear to their colleagues when needed.

They volunteer for this role on top of their regular work.

Deputy Assistant Commissioner (DAC) Tay Wee Li, deputy chairwoman of the para-counsellor committee, said that para-counsellors are crucial in monitoring the mental well-being of officers.

She said: “Para-counsellors are essentially police officers for fellow officers. They provide peer support and counselling, and also render practical and psychological assistance during crisis or critical incidents to officers and their families.”

There are now more than 460 para-counsellors in the SPF, compared with about 20 years ago, when there were just over 100.

DAC Tay said there is a large pool of officers who have applied to become para-counsellors, and while it is heartening, the committee and the PPSD have been selective.

She said this is because they need to ensure the officers are suitable for the volunteer role.

Officers who apply to become para-counsellors have to go through at least four rounds of checks and selections, including a psychometric test administered by the PPSD, before they receive professional training.

Public interest in the mental health and well-being of police officers has grown significantly since Sergeant Uvaraja Gopal, 36, was found dead at the foot of a block in Yishun in July.

Before his death, Sgt Uvaraja had put up a post on Facebook alleging racial discrimination and other issues at work.

Following his death, Home Affairs and Law Minister K. Shanmugam said the circumstances surrounding Sgt Uvaraja’s death would be thoroughly investigated.

The police also said they would be reviewing the allegations of workplace discrimination and referring their findings to the Attorney-General’s Chambers for an independent review.