9 out 10 emergency workers in the UK have experienced stress, low mood and poor mental health while working. 1 in 4 have considered taking their own lives
Survey by MIND the mental health charity.
The UNSPOKEN Problem We Solve
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
Individuals are left without any support or guidance.
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
Support is provided only to those who have reached crisis point .
Hundreds of thousands of retired and serving officers carry emotional residue from their service.
There is no confidential peer-to-peer support App for police officers.
There is no confidential peer-to-peer support App for police officers.
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
There is no confidential peer-to-peer support App for police officers.
Friends and family have no where to learn about the signs of emotional trauma.
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
There is no easily accessible place to reach out to get support and guidance from professionals in a confidential environment
Behind the Blue Lights:The Mental Baggage of Those Who Serve
by Nick Marr
As a former UK police officer , I’ve witnessed first-hand how our minds become storage rooms, each traumatic experience neatly packed away like a suitcase. For every emergency worker—be it a police officer, paramedic, or firefighter—these suitcases represent moments of extreme emotion: a death, a suicide, an attack on a colleague, or the heartbreaking task of informing someone that their loved one has been killed. We pack these suitcases deep in the back of our minds, close them tight, and stack them away as we move on to the next crisis. It’s what we do, even though what we face is beyond the normal human experience.
I can say with 100% certainty every emergency worker will have mental residue from the work they do. This is not some officers its all of them at varying degrees
Research shows that emergency workers are exposed to extreme situations far more frequently than the general public, and this takes a significant toll on their mental health. For instance, a report by the Police Federation of England and Wales revealed that 1 in 5 police officers in the UK experience symptoms of PTSD, and many more suffer from anxiety and depression. Similar issues affect ambulance workers, with a study published by The British Medical Journal finding that over 50% of paramedics in the UK have faced mental health problems related to their work. Firefighters are not exempt; according to research by Mind, 85% of firefighters in the UK have experienced stress and poor mental health at work, and 37% have even contemplated suicide.
This is the unspoken truth and its for us all to fully appreciate the sacrifice our young 999 workers undertake when serving our communities.
At the time, you’re just focused on the job. You don’t think about those suitcases; you’re too busy. But over the years, they begin to accumulate, layer upon layer. Each suitcase contains the weight of a moment you had to handle and then quickly move past. You don’t realise it, but they’re there, stacked up in your mind—until one day, something forces them open.
My suitcase was forced open with the death of a relative 999 today and take control of your mobile experience.
Now, in retirement, I’ve found its a lot easier to open those suitcases with former colleagues, unpacking them together, and recognising that they’re there. It’s a form of unburdening, a way to lighten the load. But it’s a process that needs to happen earlier, before the weight becomes unbearable.
How an extreme event for a veteran cop took me by surprise
I’ll never forget one extreme event from my time as a young sergeant. I took some probationers to a particularly harrowing scene—a young woman’s suicide. The oldest guy on my team, a seasoned cop with 29 years of service, came along too. He was the type who always had a roll-up cigarette stuck to his lip, with a dry sense of humor and a casual attitude toward even the most gruesome situations. At the scene, members of the public were screaming, and one person even fainted as we cordoned off the area. I remember thinking that the public was understandably shocked, but as police officers, we had to be strong, to handle it.
Afterward, I ran a debrief, urging the younger officers to talk about what they’d seen and offering occupational health referrals. Everyone left the room except for the veteran cop. He quietly shut the door and, to my surprise, started to cry into his hands. It wasn’t the young officers who had been most affected—it was the old-timer whose suitcases had finally overflowed. This moment taught me that no one, no matter how experienced or tough, is immune to the effects of carrying these hidden burdens.
A quote from Mind’s Blue Light Programme, which focuses on mental health in emergency services, resonates with this: "Emergency service workers are exposed to traumatic incidents far more frequently than the general public, and this can have a profound effect on their mental health. It's vital that these workers have access to support whenever they need it."
The message I want to share is simple: those suitcases exist, whether you acknowledge them or not. You might think you’re tough enough to handle anything, but the reality is that no one is immune. The effects of unseen mental anguish are real and can be devastating if left unchecked. Find someone to talk to, someone who understands what it’s like to carry those suitcases. Open them up before they burst open on their own, because the longer you wait, the heavier they get.
If you are an emergency worker or know someone who is, please pass this message on. They may be busy collecting suitcases, but let them know—don’t leave them packed away for too long. Addressing these issues early on is not a sign of weakness but a necessary step to ensure that these burdens don’t overwhelm them in the future.
Nick Marr