Brave Hampshire Police Officer tells of trauma after being sent to murder scene of victim she knew
PC Hannah Briggs now works to prevent suicide in the force
A Hampshire Police Officer who experienced trauma in her policing role says she knows how it feels to be "in the dark" and is calling for more support within the police force.
PC Hannah Briggs has spoken out about her experience of trauma in the hopes to raise awareness of the difficulties police officers face.
Since the traumatic incident, she has joined the Suicide, Trauma, Education, Prevention (STEP) campaign to help others.
She said: "Underneath our uniforms we are humans and we are often first on scene to very traumatic incidents and I don't feel that there is enough support in place.
"I was in so much pain, I didn't know where to go, where to turn or who to speak to.
"But if a line manager simply knows a couple of places that they can do a referral for, or just talk to them, it's about being able to say 'look, I've got you. Let's get you some help.'"
Ms Briggs was sent to the scene of the murder of a teenage girl she had worked with in a previous job and says she was "understandably upset".
She said: "From then on, I deteriorated and tried to manage it myself."
She was told she did not qualify for Trauma Risk Management and was then referred to occupational health, starting off with lower level therapy and on becoming suicidal, she reached out to Police Care UK.
Ms Briggs added: "There was this tiny part of me that just fought.
"For so long I hid because of the stigma because of how I was sort of made to feel.
"Of recent times, with having the right support of my current inspectors who have been absolutely incredible; I've come to realise that when Spencer announced this programme (STEP), we need to start speaking about it.
"I think it's so important to speak about it because there's so much stigma against the police at the moment."
Ms Briggs is calling for a raise in awareness to help those who may be in similar situations as she was in.
She says she appreciates how "unimaginably" busy the police force is, but adds that people should be guided towards support and be asked how they are really doing.
If you are in need of help, you can contact the Samaritans on 116 123 or if you are a police officer, you can contact, 'The Thin Blue Line'.