OPP, Ontario not doing enough for officers with PTSD: report

The Ontario Provincial Police and the provincial government are not doing enough to help officers with post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD), the Ontario ombudsman said Wednesday.

Andre Marin said that not only are affected officers dealing with depression, anxiety and thoughts of suicide – they’re also battling a culture that tells them to “suck it up.”

In his report called In the Line of Duty, Marin writes that both the OPP and the Ministry of Community Safety and Correctional Services have been “reluctant” to tackle PTSD.

“The officers who put themselves on the line to protect Ontario’s citizens deserve assurance that the province has their backs,” Marin wrote.

If untreated, PTSD can lead to suicide and other health issues. The ombudsman’s report found that the OPP has only one staff psychologist for the entire province, and does not track the number of officers who have committed suicide.

Marin is calling for preventative programs to help officers and to address the stigma surround mental illness.

“Protection of the psychological welfare of police officers is a systemic issue calling for a systemic solution,” he said.  

On Wednesday, OPP commissioner Chris Lewis reiterated his response to the ombudsman on Oct. 18,
pledging to have a senior officer review the 34 recommendations put forward.

“The OPP will conduct an in-depth review of all of the ombudsman’s recommendations,” he said. “The OPP regularly evaluate its programs and practices and will make good use of the findings in the report.”

But he acknowledged, “We just can’t run out and implement everything. It may cost millions of dollars. We’ll have to put a plan in place to try and implement as best we can as we weigh out our other duties and costs.”

The deputy minister of community safety said staff would be “examining options to respond to the recommendations” and would report back to the Ombudsman on a quarterly basis.

“It is incumbent on the OPP and the Ministry to undertake efforts to protect officers in this province who place their psychological welfare on the line,” Marin said.

Marin’s team conducted over 190 interviews over 18 months.

They found that 23 active and retired OPP members have killed themselves since 1989 – two more than were killed on duty in the same period.

There were five OPP suicides in the past 18 months alone.

There were some positives: the ombudsman praised the OPP’s Safeguard program, which helps specialized officers deemed to be in high-risk work. While the report called Safeguard “laudable,” Marin argued that the program should be expanded to other units.

Other recommendations:

• OPP should attack stigma against operational stress injuries and suicide by reviewing best practices, consulting with experts and implementing a consistent, comprehensive program of support services, training and prevention for active and retired officers and their families.
• OPP should collect data on operational stress injury claims and suicides.
• OPP should provide immediate referrals for members and family who need help.
• OPP should enhance and improve its employee assistance programs, available psychological services and peer support services.
• OPP should expand its Safeguard program of regular mental health checkups.
• Ministry should survey police across Ontario on the extent of operational stress injuries and suicide, consult with experts and develop provincial standards for police services relating to support services, training and prevention. 

Read the report In the Line of Duty below:

OPP Inthelineoffire