Carelinkers meet recruits at Police College
On the evenings of March 13 to 15, about 15 Carelinkers (members of the Carelinks Cadre of the Force) visited the Police College to meet the Recruit Police Constables (RPCs) of 'T' to 'Y' Squads. In small groups they shared their experiences of the following subjects with the RPCs:
* The common sources of stress for police officers and ways of coping with this problem;
* The importance of self-care;
* Caring for fellow officers whilst being able to care for oneself, and
* Seeking help for difficulties at an early stage.
The meeting took place before the 180 RPCs' scheduled passing-out parade in Aberdeen on March 25. Excited but a bit worried about the actual police career that they were going to start, the RPCs were happy to have their very experienced peers chat with them reassuringly in a friendly atmosphere. At the end of the small group sessions, many of them stated that they found the meeting useful and thanked the Carelinkers for their time and effort.
Since the Carelinks Cadre was formed in July 2005, the Carelinkers had visited the Police College three times to share experiences with RPCs going to pass out shortly. More visits will be made in the future.
To enhance the psychological well-being of Force members and promote a culture of care among them, the Carelinks Cadre will also organise various related activities, such as the "Inspirational Reading Project" and "Carelinks Kiosk - Group Sharing Sessions". For details, please watch out for publicity news in OffBeat and the Force NoticeBoard.
Recruits appreciate the Carelinkers' visit