FEATURE I Chaplaincy in... the police service
Loitering with pastoral intent Continuing a series on Salvation Army chaplaincy in diverse settings, Simon Hope talks to a police chaplain about his experiences
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HE police service is a vital part of our functioning society. Every day hundreds of thousands of officers and staff work to protect communities and neighbourhoods, despite the many challenges of a stressful role. With ever-increasing strains on officers today, there is more awareness than ever of the importance of holistic wellbeing – care that includes body, mind and spirit. This is where chaplains have a part to play. Major Peter is a retired Salvation Army officer and served as a police officer in the 1970s and 1980s. As a chaplain within Kent police, his ministry is spread across Kent Police College and a police station. At the college he makes himself visible and available in all the communal areas for anyone who wants to talk. He spends his most productive time, however, loitering outside the canteen at lunch time. Following this, he spends half an hour sitting in the care room. Supported by the charity Police Care UK, the care room is a quiet space that anyone can use to take a step away from the clamour of their job. Some people use the room to pray – there are prayer mats and religious resources available – but care rooms are primarily a wellbeing tool. Peter points out that an equally valid use of the room would be to ‘kick the door shut and burst into tears’. His regular presence in the care room gives people an opportunity to talk to him in private. The police station has a very different atmosphere, but Peter’s role there is remarkably similar. Immersing himself in the continual scurry of activity, he always receives a warm reception from staff members and officers, who will often sit down for a chat over a cup of tea. In many ways, Peter’s role is much like that of chaplains in other settings. The
responsibilities revolve around praying for people and coming alongside them in confidential support as an independent friend. In Peter’s words: ‘A chaplain is there to look after the spiritual welfare of officers, staff, volunteers; everybody who works within the environment.’ The key difference for police chaplains lies in the context. ‘Police officers have all sorts of concerns,’ he explains. ‘Sometimes they’re job-related but more often than not they’re personal. Police staff and officers are people too, and they have elderly parents, kids that play up, marital problems. All those things you deal with as a church pastor are there, plus the pressures of the job itself, which can be extreme.’ Working in such a secure environment, people in the police service can be wary about sharing their thoughts, feelings or problems. This can make it exceedingly difficult to find somebody to talk to about the pressures that come, not only with life but also with the job. Having a dedicated chaplain, whose job is to do just that, provides them with a secure environment in which to decompress. ‘It’s really about getting to know people so that they trust me when they’ve got something to talk about. I think that’s where being an ex-police officer helps,’ Peter suggests. ‘I understand their concerns and they know that. That doesn’t stop others being chaplains, but I think it helps.’ This is especially poignant in relation to situations that are sadly all too common for those working within the police service. Peter talks about instances where colleagues have been murdered or have died by suicide. Losing a member of the team – a friend – in such a way affects everyone. In these situations, Peter’s simple presence matters.
‘I just move among the people, talking to them, letting them let off steam. Some of them are very close to the victims and they just want to talk about them.’ Peter shares an incident from his past, when several officers were killed by an IRA bomb, including a sergeant who had recently worked with Peter and his team. ‘The atmosphere that night was absolutely dreadful,’ he remembers. ‘And if we’d had a chaplain then, believe me, I’d have been on the phone to them straight away. Things like this actually do have an impact, and that’s where I need to get alongside people and offer pastoral support. Just listening. Just being there. I don’t talk about my experiences, necessarily, but I draw on them. I know what it’s like to be in that situation. To be honest, every police officer with more than a few weeks’ service carries scars mentally, and that includes me. ‘I think that our police officers work under extreme pressure. People generally don’t realise the pressure they’re under! And they are extremely conscientious. Most of them try very hard to do their job really well. ‘They get so much negativity from the press – from all sorts of people, really. I think being able to reassure them and affirm them is an important part of my job.’ It is in this intense context that chaplains make a marked difference – cultivating the grounded, confidential friendships that allow them to protect the wellbeing of those who are working to protect us all.
SIMON HOPE Editorial Assistant Salvationist
Salvationist 25 June 2022
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