A PC's mission
The ever-increasing tension and stress in the current social and economic environments have made depression one of the most common illnesses in city life. Though committing suicide is not a criminal offence, police officers are often required to handle this problem, which mainly arises from such illness, because it would bring serious consequences for public safety and order. Therefore, preventing suicide is also one of police officers' many challenging tasks. The following story of a young Police Constable from a Miscellaneous Enquiries Sub-unit (MESU), Ah Fung, may shed light on how suicide prevention could be achieved.
Criminal and
miscellaneous investigations
Ah Fung is a young and ambitious officer, who had always wanted to join CID for cracking major cases. Being a green hand, he was posted to MESU to learn and hone investigation skills so as to lay a good foundation for future CID work.
In his MESU, Ah Fung soon encountered a difficult case: a woman in her 50s attempted to commit suicide. With a happy family and a son who was a professional, the woman felt very frustrated at work. Her dispute with her boss at the workplace could hardly be resolved after she repeatedly lodged a formal complaint. Eventually, she turned stubborn and refused to accept any advice or mediation, and even attempted to jump from rooftop in order to attract public attention.
Being green
is no obstacle
In handling this case, Ah Fung, due to his young age, could hardly earn the woman's trust and co-operation. In her mind, Ah Fung could not realise her problems. Whenever Ah Fung got in touch with her on the phone, the woman became emotionally agitated and hostile. And she ignored Ah Fung's advice to accept the help by a social worker. However, Ah Fung was convinced that his age was no obstacle for his job and continued to find a solution for his client.
Empathy wins trust
Despite his difficulties, Ah Fung did not give up and showed his care, support and encouragement for his client with empathy. When the woman stopped yelling at him and listened to him patiently, Ah Fung knew he had won her trust. He then left a telephone number for the woman to contact him outside office hours. At the same time, he arranged a social worker to help her.
Perseverance brings
rays of hope
With the joint efforts of Ah Fung and the social worker, the woman agreed to bring her dispute with her boss to the Labour Tribunal. What Ah Fung did in the past couple of months eventually changed her impression of a young police officer and, more importantly, moved her out of harm's way.
Effective
communication is the key
In helping his client, Ah Fung used his communication skills, listened to her with all his ears and applied the concept of empathy. He not only identified the causes of his client's problems but also rectified her negative emotion and talked her out of committing suicide through many rounds of discussion. This basic approach would also work in other police jobs.
