By Thomas Laberge
Student in police technology at Collège d’Alma  

Publié le 11 mars 2026

Not a lot of people take the time to consider the mental health of police officers because people expect them to be strong and ready for anything. In reality, police officers are people with feelings and thoughts about life just like the rest of the population. Are they really that mentally strong or are they just good at hiding it? There are many statistics showings that police officer is the most affected profession by their job and that is becoming a real source of danger for them. This problem is related to the sustainable development goal of good health and well-being. 

The research conducted by the Canadien institute for Public Safety Research and Treatment, has proven that 34% of police officers that are working in a service are touched by at least one mental issue. This statistic may seem low, but it's actually much higher than the 10% of the general population who are not police officers. This shows how significant the difference is between the role of a police officer and that of someone else. Some people are more affected because of everything they see and experience in their lives, for example dead bodies, suicides, people taking drugs and things that nobody wants to hear about in all their life. 

At Collège d’Alma, students of police technology have classes on understanding the minds of the people they will be intervening with. First, they explain the issues surrounding mental health because it is important to understand the reality of the job. The teacher, Mr. Alexandre Boivin, said that the job of a police officer is stressful and can lead to mental health issues. He also told the students that they are the people with the greatest risk, when they are under too much pressure, to take their own lives because they have a gun. They also pose a danger to the public because they will be less patient and more aggressive when carrying out interventions. That is why they are now providing training to help police officers understand the limits of mental health.  

During a class, my teacher, Mr. Alexandre Boivin, said that police officers need help with their mental health because of the horrible situations they witness. He also mentioned that you cannot keep that to yourself; you need to speak up and ask for help. That is why in the future, I think there should be some kind of psychiatric evaluation to prevent dreadful things from happening to police officers. 

The mental health of police officers is something that should be looked more into to help them. It is really bad that so many officers suffer from mental health issues and do not know how to help their situation. Officers with these issues can act inappropriately during interventions. The question now is whether the classes on stress and mental health at Cegep Alma really help future police officers.