Extreme stress

“Police officers need psychological support too”

The shocking attack in Villach is also a psychological stress test for emergency services.

(Bild: SVS News Agency)

A shock operation such as the bloody and deadly terrorist attack in Villach does not leave police officers unscathed. Employees from the psychological service and trained colleagues are on hand to help them cope with such stress. 

"When you join the police, you have to put up with it" - an often-heard piece of common wisdom. But police officers are just like everyone else - with worries, fears and emotions. And they are the ones who are usually the first on the scene of terrible events and experience them first-hand. Just like the emergency services last Saturday in Villach.

In order to deal with such psychological stress and be able to cope with it, peer support was created in the police force over 30 years ago.

"The basic idea was once to support officers after a life-threatening use of weapons. However, there are many other situations that police officers have to deal with," says psychologist Elisabeth Schneider, Head of the Psychological Services Department at the Ministry of the Interior.

With her 24-strong specialist team of psychologists, psychotherapists and life and social counselors, she is basically responsible for the psychological emergency support of police officers. However, it has extended arms in every federal state: the so-called peer supporters. These are police officers specially trained by Elisabeth Schneider and her team who, in addition to their normal executive duties, provide voluntary support to colleagues in an emergency without extra pay.

There are seven psychological police peer supporters in Carinthia.

(Bild: BMI/Bernhard Elbe)

Seven "peer supporters" in Carinthia
"They are the first point of contact in the provinces. There are currently seven of these psychological support officers in Carinthia alone. One of them is based directly at the police academy. Of course, we are always on hand to provide advice and support - even on site if necessary."

My team is there for all law enforcement officers - if anyone needs support, we are always available. Just get in touch!

Elisabeth Schneider, Leiterin der Abteilung „Psychologischer Dienst“ im Innenministerium

According to the expert, the main reasons for a request for support from officers are complex: "It could be a serious traffic accident, an official act where you yourself have been threatened or injured. Or, above all, operations involving children. Like now in Villach."

"Many emergency services are parents themselves, which makes it even more difficult. It doesn't fit in with our illusion that nothing can happen to children. You can't train for such extreme situations in any school. You only know what it does to you afterwards, what it triggers in you."

Around 400 incidents a year
According to Elisabeth Schneider, there are statistically around 400 incidents across Austria every year, in which her team either independently contacts the colleagues involved after certain events, the psychologists are informed by the officers' superiors or the victims contact them themselves.