Griffith University will partner with Victoria Police to deliver an innovative program to tackle the organisational and operational stressors faced by police personnel, that research shows can cause up to three times the psychological harm of trauma exposure alone.
WorkSafe Victoria has awarded a significant $1.76 million to fund the WorkSafe Psychological Health Industry Trial focused on prevention and response to psychosocial hazards and risks experienced by both sworn and unsworn police staff in Victoria Police.
Led by experts from Griffith University, working with Victoria Police across all levels of the agency, the three-year initiative will introduce a central risk and hazard data hub, alongside specialised leadership training and communities of practice designed specifically for policing environments.
Associate Professor Jacqueline Drew, police psychologist and global leader in police wellbeing from the Griffith Criminology Institute, said the COMMAND-Well Industry Trial represented an evidence-based approach to police wellbeing, moving the focus from the individual to systems-level change, building police workplaces that prevented rather than caused harm.
"There is growing recognition that while trauma remains an important focus, psychological health at work is also influenced by factors such as workload, job demands, support, role clarity and workplace culture," Associate Professor Drew said.
"Supporting individuals directly remains important, however organisations are increasingly recognising the value of addressing the systemic factors that contribute to psychological health and safety."
Stress management and behaviour change expert from the Griffith School of Applied Psychology, Dr Jacob Keech, said the project would strengthen leader capability to better understand what most impacted wellbeing in their work units.
"We will work with mid-level police leaders because they are uniquely positioned to influence systems of work, workplace culture, and the management of psychosocial hazards across large numbers of police personnel," Dr Keech said.
"By supporting these leaders, this project aims to contribute to systems-level change that improves psychological health and safety in Victoria Police."
Reflecting on the partnership with Victoria Police, Associate Professor Drew said the commitment being made by a police agency to this police-research partnership was rare, not just for Australia, but across the world.
"Victoria Police are providing substantial in-kind support of $1.74 million to ensure the Industry Trial is successful," she said.
"We are deeply encouraged that Victoria Police recognises the value of this Industry Trial and is making such a significant investment in their people."
The program comes at a critical time, following the introduction of new Psychological Health Regulations in Victoria.
