Police Federation National Board member and Health & Safety Lead Richie Murray has called for greater honesty, earlier intervention and better use of data to help prevent suicide across policing and the wider emergency services.

The 40-minute panel at the Emergency Services Show explored the importance of looking after those who regularly respond to traumatic incidents, as well as the work taking place nationally to improve suicide prevention and postvention across the emergency services.

Recent developments include the introduction of mandatory reporting of police officer suicides and a new suicide prevention and postvention toolkit for fire and rescue services.

Richie was joined on the panel by Norfolk Fire and Rescue Service Chief Fire Officer Ceri Sumner, Hertfordshire Fire and Rescue Service Health and Wellbeing Manager Lauren Merritt, and Fire Fighters Charity Director of Impact, Insight and Service Partnerships Joss Gaynor.

During the discussion, Richie reflected on the impact suicide has on officers, their families and colleagues, and why more needs to be done to recognise the warning signs before someone reaches crisis point.“My motivation comes from seeing first-hand the impact suicide has on officers, their families, colleagues and wider communities,” he said.

“Through my role with the Police Federation, I’ve supported people during some of the most difficult periods of their lives and, unfortunately, I’ve also seen the consequences when support arrives too late.”

Between 2022 and 2025, 75 police officers died by suicide, with nearly two-thirds under investigation at the time. In 2026, 13 officers and staff have already been lost.

“Those aren’t just statistics,” Richie said. “They’re people, families and communities. That’s why this work matters. These deaths are not inevitable. If the work we do prevents even one family from experiencing that loss, then it’s worth doing.”

Richie said better data is an important part of understanding where the risks lie and what support is actually working. “If we don’t understand the scale of the problem, we can’t effectively tackle it,” he said. “Data helps us identify trends, understand risk factors and evaluate whether the support we’re providing is actually making a difference.”

Historically, he said, policing has often responded to individual tragedies without always having the information needed to identify wider patterns.

The move towards mandatory reporting of police officer suicides has therefore been an important step, helping to build a clearer national picture and allowing policing to better understand the circumstances surrounding these deaths.
“Data isn’t just numbers,” Richie said. “It’s a tool that helps us learn, improve and ultimately save lives. Every statistic represents a life.”

The panel also looked at the pressures that can contribute to someone reaching crisis point.

Richie stressed that there is rarely one single cause. Instead, personal and professional pressures can build over time, including exposure to trauma, relationship difficulties, financial worries, workplace stress, mental health challenges and the strain of being under investigation.

“One of the key things we have learned is that people often don’t want to end their life,” he said. “They want to end what feels like unbearable emotional pain.” That is why recognising changes in behaviour and starting conversations early can be so important.

“Prevention starts with conversation,” Richie said.

He also highlighted the role organisations themselves have to play in creating a culture where people feel able to ask for help. “Organisations need to create an environment where asking for help is seen as a strength, not a weakness,” he said.

That means having the right support in place before somebody reaches crisis point, including strong leadership, supervisors who know how to recognise warning signs, accessible welfare services and proper support for people going through particularly difficult periods.

“The most effective organisations don’t wait until someone is in crisis,” Richie said. “They build wellbeing, welfare and psychological safety into everyday business.”

For colleagues who are worried about someone, his advice was straightforward: do not ignore it. “If something doesn’t feel right, start a conversation,” he said. “You don’t need to be a mental health expert; you just need to be willing to listen.”

He also challenged the misconception that asking someone directly whether they are thinking about suicide could somehow put the idea into their head. “Often the biggest protective factor is human connection,” he said. “Let people know they’re not alone and help them access the support they need.

“Nobody should feel they have to face a crisis alone.”

Crisis lines remain an important part of that support and, Richie said, can be lifesaving for someone who feels they have nowhere else to turn. But they cannot be the only answer.
“Our aim should also be to ensure people receive support much earlier,” he said.

The goal, he argued, should be to create workplaces where people feel comfortable asking for help long before they reach the point of needing emergency support.

That need for early intervention was echoed by the wider focus of the session, which looked at how national guidance, better processes and closer cooperation between organisations can improve the support available to emergency service workers.

Richie finished by calling for closer working between police forces, the wider emergency services, healthcare providers, charities, staff associations and researchers.
“No single organisation can solve this alone,” he said.

Sharing data and learning, spotting risks earlier and making sure people have clear routes into support can all help prevent people from reaching crisis point. “The more joined-up our approach is, the more opportunities we create to identify someone who is struggling, intervene early and ultimately prevent avoidable deaths.”

His message to the audience was simple: behind every statistic is a person, a family and a group of colleagues whose lives can be changed forever. “Every statistic represents a life,” he said, “and every life is worth saving.”