Plod to face Mental Health Checks....
Discussion
www.thisislondon.co.uk/news/articles/6397845?source=PA 
The Press Association said:On the bright side, Brunstrom could be medically retired in months under this programme
The Home Office will today agree to psychological testing for police officers to make sure they can cope with the stress of their jobs, a senior policeman said.
Police to get mental health tests
Murder squad detectives, officers who hunt paedophiles and even traffic wardens could get regular stress checks to monitor their mental health.
It is part of a £15 million Government strategy, agreed with the police service, to try to reduce sickness, absenteeism and early retirement among officers.
It will also combat the "macho" culture within the police which deters officers from complaining about the pressures of the job.
The move is being considered by a Home Office steering group today - and most likely will be approved, according to Chief Superintendent Mike McAndrew, a member of the working group.
Mr McAndrew, who is also a spokesman for The Police Superintendents' Association of England and Wales, said: "It will be approved in principle this morning. How it will be taken forward and put into effect, the detail, is not yet clear, but the principle will be agreed.
"Psychological testing is about recognising people are suffering from stress.
"At the moment we are only talking about the principle, about whether or not there are certain jobs more stressful than others and whether people carrying out those jobs ought to get more monitoring."
The testing would probably involve officers in the most stressful jobs being asked to complete a health questionnaire on a regular basis to monitor the pressure they feel they are under.
If necessary the officer in question could then get further help and talk face-to-face with occupational psychologists.
All police employees, such as forensic scenes of crime officers, investigators
and traffic wardens, could also be considered for psychological testing.
He added: "Traffic wardens, it is pretty stressful, being out there on the street getting abuse day in, day out.
"People will laugh at it but people do not realise the stress.
"Say you decide you want to be a traffic warden, you might not realise how much hassle you get on the job."
Government figures show the total number of days lost in the police force due to sick leave in 2000-01 was 1,516,147.
The average number of days lost per officer was 12.2 compared with the 2001 average in the public sector of 10.2 days, and in the private sector of 7.2 days.
Mr McAndrew said the figure for the police compared favourably with other
employees when you considered the sort of job officers had to do, and showed the need for monitoring.
He added: "The reason this would be brought in is because people are being affected already by the job.
"People are spending time sick, not swinging the lead, but genuinely ill as a result of their job.
"There is something about police officers gritting their teeth and getting on with it in circumstances they would regard it as a weakness if they showed they were having problems.
"Long term the hope is to reduce stress and illness and early retirements. That is the aim."
He said at the moment officers like himself were expected to monitor the health of their staff as well as all other responsibilities.
But such police ranks have no specialist training in occupational health - and junior officers might not want to complain to their boss about being stressed.
The initiative is part of The Strategy for A Healthy Police Service approved by the then Home Office minister John Denham, last October.
The steering group meeting this morning also included the Association of Chief Police Officers, the Superintendents' Association, Unison and police occupational health advisor.
The move comes just days after it emerged that Scotland Yard is reviewing the length of time officers spend in its specialist paedophile unit amid fears over their mental health.
deltaf said:
I would fail as I am mad , bring on the sick pension please
Are you mad enough to stick two pencils up ypur nose, and apair of "Y" fronts on your head, and saying the word "wibble" to anyone who talks to you?
I am mad enough to stick them up your nose and my underpants on your head would surely make me 'wibble'
On a serious note, If I was to be interviewed about my suitability to carry on a role I had been for some years, I would explain that the interview was causing me stress and refuse to take part in it! Ever tried interviewing someone who says " No comment"? It dosen't normally last too long
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