 Published
October 12th, 2011
The nation currently
has a Police Force with no specialized training in
professional psychological services nor does it have a
system for trauma therapy and grief counseling
/psychological outfit for grieving families.
The recent revelation that four hundred police officers lost
their lives in the line of duty last year, within the
Federal Capital Territory, Abuja tells us that more and more
trauma deaths of officers remain rampant across all of the
states.
On a physical level, the nation lacks a system of life
insurance policies for close family members and survivors.
There is no Police Health Plan with a package for trauma
therapy for families of deceased officers. The traumatically
injured officers lack a system-based insurance or long term
financial plans to cover their hospital bills and other
basic needs. The reported N500,000 presented to survivors is
a one-time deal that families of the dead get, and at best
such collected benefit brings a one second aid to the
grieving family. Especially, when they could be
grief-stricken, depressed, anxious, guilty and angry over
the traumatic death of a loved one.
They might be encountering emotional reactions as in
flashbacks, nightmares, and undergoing experiences of
emotions and physical sensations of fear, sweating, smells,
sounds, and pain which could be long term. Traumatic deaths
like officers death in the line of duty could result into
numbing, being 'on guard, hyper- vigilante, jumpy, insomnia,
irritability, and other symptoms like muscle aches,
irregular heartbeats, headaches and feelings of panic.
As such other negative coping behaviors could follow as in
drinking too much alcohol, using drugs (including
painkillers), and smoking cigarette. All these symptoms
could fold into a problem called Post-traumatic Stress
Disorder – when they go on for too long.
The Police Force lacks a system of death and grief studies,
and ‘Family Orientation to Police Life’ which could further
make the experience of premature death more shocking to
families.
Given the fact that premature police deaths are
statistically higher overall compare to many professions,
the federal ministry of police affairs should institute a
therapeutic system for many grieving families seeking
comfort and closure.
The ultimate sacrifice for these surviving families is the
murder of their police officers’ husbands , fathers and sons
and daughters. Certainly, there will be police officers
killed in the line of duty, as such, the use of
psychological resources to attain stability and a support
system to help the family cope becomes very vital. A
line-of-duty psychological treatment for grieving families,
peers and colleagues is more meaningful when the kind of
benefits collected by a spouse or family is highly
sustaining as these post-duty death benefits affects the
length and intensity of the whole grieving period.
It is time that the Nigeria Police Force have individual and
group counseling and other related services which should be
provided at various commands or locations by trained grief
response teams across homes and schools. There is need to
begin a telephone program where families and peers of the
dead leave information in regards to counseling assistance
or other needs.
The Nigeria Psychological Association with all of its human
resources and assets are ready to assist when called upon by
the leadership and the presidency since psychology has
stayed neglected for far too long in many of these national
affairs.
John Egbeazien Oshodi,
Ph.D. is the Secretary-General of the Nigeria Psychological
Association (NPA). Abuja
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