Ole Sønder, political lead on occupational health and safety, Danish Police Federation  

What is particularly important to you when it comes to prevention?  

It is important that people dare to speak up – both managers and employees. We can put a lot of safety nets in place, but it also requires something from the individual. And if we do not create an environment where people feel able to speak up and say, “This actually affected me” or “Something happened to me,” then, in my view, none of this really matters. So psychological safety is extremely important. And then there are the high emotional demands – we need to develop a shared language for talking about them. I think that may be the most important thing of all. 

How do you see this in relation to your work in the police?  

When you work in a high-risk profession like ours, you have to accept to some extent that you will continually be exposed to demanding situations. But we need to find a way for the sand to gradually pass through the sieve, acknowledge that there will be reactions, and deal with them together. We cannot prevent every strain, but we can help each other deal with them so that they gradually pass through the system rather than building up. Because that is when it becomes dangerous – at least in the line of work I come from.