HAMPSHIRE Constabulary has scooped an award in recognition of its work regarding officer wellbeing.

The force has been awarded top spot in the Mental Health category of the 2020 Oscar Kilo Awards for its work on the PPE for the Mind project.

The project, a psychological and behavioural skills training programme, aims to improve psychological flexibility and increase personal resilience, enabling individuals to manage the impact of continual exposure to difficult and traumatic experiences.

The programme is unique in that it was specifically designed to be applicable for a policing context and be a preventative intervention for mind health.

It ran between January and June 2019 and nearly 200 officers and staff took part.

The citation for the Oscar Kilo award states that the constabulary has received the award “in recognition of its outstanding contribution to improving the well-being of its staff”.

Helen Mears, HR business partner and tactical well-being lead, said: “It is great to be recognised by Oscar Kilo for the work that has taken place in relation to PPE for the Mind.

“As a force, we are trying to be innovative and forward-thinking to provide the support that officers and staff need and this is just one of the many services that have been introduced over the last two years as we have made great strides in relation to well-being.”

Oscar Kilo is the home of the National Police Wellbeing Service and brings assessment, learning and conversation about emergency services well-being into one place.

The Oscar Kilo Awards were created to recognise the work forces are doing to provide wellbeing support across UK policing.