The perceptions of station commissioners of Waterberg District regarding the suicide prevention workshops targeted at police officers

Abstract

Appendices A-D were not provided by the author. The goal of the study was to explore the perceptions of the station commissioners of Waterberg District regarding the Suicide Prevention Workshops targeted at police officers. The study was conducted with the station commissioners of Waterberg District in Limpopo. The population in this study was composed of 15 station commissioners who were regarded as the sample due to the fact that the population is small. The research approach used in the applied study was a qualitative approach. A semi-structured interview schedule was used to collect data from the station commissioners in order to uncover their perceptions regarding the Suicide Prevention Workshops. A theoretical background about suicide in general and police suicide was provided through a literature study. In the literature study the background information about factors contributing towards police suicide were indicated, together with methods used to commit suicide. Causes of suicide in general as compared to those of police members, were also clarified. The focus in the literature was also on gender whereby an indication was mentioned about who exactly are at risk of committing suicide. The attitude of police officers and the society’s expectations and perceptions regarding police members has been discussed. The empirical study focused on the perceptions of station commissioners of Waterberg District in Limpopo regarding the Suicide Prevention Workshops targeted at police officers. A semi-structured one-on-one interview was held with each station commissioner on individual basis where by questions were asked about his or her perception of the Suicide Prevention Workshops. The findings of the study revealed that station commanders appreciate the role played by social workers, chaplains and psychological services in presenting suicide prevention programmes to police officers. They indicated that at some point they fail to nominate police officers to attend the workshops because some of the subordinates are not cooperative and they might even submit sick notes in order to be excused from attending. It was also reported that if there is a shortage of personnel due to other core business of SAPS, police officers might not be nominated. Based on the findings of the study, conclusions and recommendations were made with regard to how the suicide prevention program and workshops can be improved in SAPS. Copyright