On Thursday, the PIT-CNT trade union center called on the authorities to implement policies to attend to the mental health of police officers in view of the high incidence of suicides prevailing in this armed force.
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The trade union center took note of the "self-elimination of two police officers" last weekend" and pointed out the "very high rate of suicides" in the Police, higher than the national rate.
According to the data, the suicide rate among police officers is 63 per 100 thousand, while the overall rate is 21 per 100 thousand.
"Mental health is an issue that must necessarily be of general concern and needs firm policies for its attention", emphasizes a communiqué from the union movement.
It notes that police officers, "as well as in other labor sectors," are exposed "to very high levels of stress and irregular working conditions."
For the PIT-CNT "some statements of police hierarchs do not help and show a superficial knowledge of the seriousness of the problem itself".
Ricardo González, of the National Police Union, regretted the facts and detailed that in the first four months of the year six uniformed officers have taken their own lives.
These are situations that are repeated year after year without an institutional response, he told the press.
He also emphasized the high number of medical certifications for mental health conditions in the police force.