Police Constable Paul Roe visited Cambridge Campus

Police Wellbeing and Trauma Scheme, OK9

Police Constable Paul Roe visited Cambridge Campus today to introduce the Oscar Kilo Peer Support Scheme with his wellbeing dog, Holly. 

With rising cases of trauma being experienced in the police force, both for members of the public and the officers dealing with major incidents, there is a resulting increase in mental health issues and Post Traumatic Stress Disorder.

The Oscar Kilo Peer Support Scheme delivers workshops, sessions, and emergency intervention with a trained Labrador to support those affected by major trauma. 

In his early career, Paul worked with the British Transport Police and this resulted in him being exposed to a catalogue of major incidents and traumatic callouts. This, coupled with events that affected him personally, resulted in Paul being diagnosed with Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. At the time the Oscar Kilo Peer Support Scheme did not exist, but medical intervention and support from the Police Rehabilitation Centre, Flint House, meant that Paul was able to address the impact of these events on his mental health. 

More recently, Paul has trained as a Police Mental Health Support Worker and introduced his pet Labrador, Holly, to the world of wellbeing and trauma support in the police force. The two now work together to support people through intervention, education, and emergency response as part of the Wellbeing and Trauma Support Scheme, OK9.

Paul said, “When people see Holly they relax. In an emergency situation this allows me to work with Holly to diffuse a situation, encouraging the individual to open-up about their feelings. Our services are also widely used to support members of the police force that have experienced traumatic incidents in the line duty. The positive impact on the mental health of individuals working with Holly lowers blood pressure and reduces anxiety. There are a total of 70 Oscar Kilo wellbeing dogs across the UK, with Holly and I being the only team in Cambridgeshire.”   

Feedback was sought from the Uniformed Public Services students that attended the workshop, which demonstrated the impact of learning about the role of police officers in attending major incidents and the impact of traumatic scenes and incidents on the individual. 

Feedback included,

• This was a powerful presentation. It was really eye opening to see the effects major incidents have on people and how certain treatments work. I want to look into subject this more at university if I have the opportunity. 
• Included loads of information and helped to give a greater insight into the police.
• Paul presented his experiences well and gave enough detail that it answered the questions I had without me needing to ask them.
• Really interesting to listen to the major incidents shared, as well as how that can impact someone’s mental health. It was very emotional, which was good as it helps people to connect to the story better.