Police operations can be very physically and mentally stressful. Police officers therefore have the opportunity to seek help from the psychosocial support team (PSU team) of the North Rhine-Westphalia police. To mark its 30th anniversary, Minister Herbert Reul honored the members of the team at a ceremony at the Ministry of the Interior of North Rhine-Westphalia on Wednesday, 15 January 2025.
Minister Reul: "Behind every uniform, behind every K badge, there are people with feelings, worries and limits - both physical and psychological. There are always missions that leave emotional traces. Accepting support is not a sign of weakness, but a sense of responsibility and professionalism. Because only those who are healthy themselves can help others. I am glad that the PSU team of the North Rhine-Westphalia police exists. When the experience is unbearable, the team stands by its colleagues - and has been doing so for 30 years now. I am very grateful for that."
In 1994, the PSU team was set up in the North Rhine-Westphalian police force - the first time that support for emergency services was organized in this way anywhere in Germany. At that time, the team consisted of a police chaplain and a police officer. Since then, it has grown considerably. Currently, 13 police officers and five police doctors are on call around the clock to support their colleagues. All PSU members come from their own organization, have the same advanced training and are certified to provide support after stressful deployments in accordance with the SbE/CISM standard (stress management after stressful events/critical incident stress management). Over the past 30 years, the PSU Team Police NRW has looked after numerous police officers. In 2023 alone, there were around 130 support missions.
The task of the PSU team is to provide individual psychosocial support to police officers during or after stressful missions. Personal experiences and personal limits play a major role in assessing the stressful situation. For example, after serious accidents, the use of firearms or suicide, it may be necessary to provide support to police officers. The police officers themselves decide whether and how much support they want and need.