Berea SAPS officers honoured in commemoration of Men's Month
The Station Commander, Colonel Hlengiwe Gcabashe, relayed her gratitude to her members for their dedication, saying the station management saw it fit to honour them during Men's Month.
'Police work is not always a walk in the park; our members are faced with challenges everyday but they work hard and produce impressive results. I always ask them to jump, they ask 'how high',' Gcabashe said.
During the event, it surfaced that some police officers face personal and psychological challenges, preventing them from executing duties to the desired results.
Motivational speaker Thomas Radebe highlighted that the rising number of police officers who murder their loved ones, and those who commit suicide, was alarming. He attributed this to lack of self-love, emphasising that men must learn to love themselves more than their jobs.
Police medical aid representative, Kehilwe Phepheng, educated the men on the surging danger of chronic illnesses, some of which were self-inflicted. He advised them to exercise regularly, follow a healthy diet and conduct regular health screenings.
Mental health was also addressed. It was underlined that the disease is creeping in among the personnel, and at times the devastation is not recognised.
Police members were urged to keep an eye on mental health symptoms like low energy, excessive drinking and drug use, feeling hopeless, overeating, sleeping too much, shouting and fighting with family members, and suicidal thoughts. Although these symptoms appear 'normal' the men were advised to seek proper help before it's too late.
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