Protecting the Police Workforce: The Experiences of Mental Health Self-disclosure by Authorised Firearms Officers in the UK

Participant Information Sheet

Protecting the Police Workforce: The Experience of Mental Health Self-Disclosure by Authorised Firearms Officers in the UK.

You are being invited to take part in a research study. Before you decide, it is important for you to understand why the research is being done and what it will involve. Please take time to read the following information carefully and discuss it with others if you wish.

What is the purpose of this study?

The purpose of this study is to understand the motivations between the information AFO's give during their annual health screening about their mental wellbeing, and what they truly experience but choose not to disclose.

Why have I been chosen?

You have been asked to take part in this study to help gather as much information from AFO’s working for all Home Office forces, Police Scotland, PSNI, the CNC and Ministry of Defence Police.

All Authorised Firearms Officers in the UK have been invited to take part in this work which may help to shape future policy around occupational health psychological screening and help to provide a clear pathway for officers who wish to voluntarily suspend their firearms authorisation for a period of time.

Do I have to take part?

Participation is voluntary and it’s up to you to decide whether or not to take part. If you do decide to take part you will be given this information sheet to keep and be asked to sign a consent form. If you decide to take part you are still free to withdraw at any time prior to the publication of the study, without giving a reason.

What will happen to me if I take part?

You won’t be asked to put your name or any personal details on the form, but if you wish to participate in the second part of the study, you’ll be asked for your name and contact details. These details will be held under GDPR guidelines. The second part of the study involves having a chat about your experiences of mental health, so at a later date I'll get in touch with you to arrange this.

What are the possible disadvantages and risks of taking part?

There are no identified risks or disadvantages to you taking part. The software used for this questionnaire does not track your details (IP address / location, etc.) and will only capture the answers you give to each question, however, we need to acknowledge there can be risks associated with our digital footprint, in particular using digital devices which don't belong to us, such as force laptops, etc.

What are the possible benefits of taking part?

The personal benefit will be to give you the opportunity to talk about your experiences with someone neutral who is not employed by the police or any occupational health organisation. The information gathered may be used to improve the pathway for AFO’s in the future and to help shape policy around Firearms wellbeing.

Data Protection Privacy Notice

The data controller for this project will be University of the West of Scotland (UWS). The UWS Data Protection Office provides oversight of UWS activities involving the processing of personal data, and can be contacted at dataprotection@uws.ac.uk. UWS’s Data Protection Officer can be contacted at dataprotection@uws.ac.uk.

Your personal data will be processed for the purposes outlined in this notice. The legal basis that would be used to process your personal data will be the provision of your consent.

Phase 1 of the study, this questionnaire is anonymous, you do not have to give your name and your location data has been switched off by this questionnaire softwear. At the end of the questionnaire you have the option to provide your contact details if you would like to take part in Phase 2, which will be a short anonymised interview, or to take part in some focus groups.

If you are concerned about how your personal data is being processed, please contact UWS in the first instance at dataprotection@uws.ac.uk. If you remain unsatisfied, you may wish to contact the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO). Contact details, and details of data subject rights, are available on the ICO website at: https://ico.org.uk/for-organisations/data-protection-reform/overview-of-the-gdpr/individuals-rights/

What will happen to the results of the research study?

Under agreement with the National Police Chiefs Council (NPCC) the ‘full version’ of the results of this study will be protectively marked and not available outside of the author, the NPCC, the College of Policing or the NCA. A heavily redacted version will be publicly available, with the data and all personal details removed.

In the future, the results of the study may be presented at conferences but this would be to vetted audiences only.

Who has reviewed the study?

ESS Ethics Committee at the University of the West of Scotland– Approval Number: 2024-22370-17487

This research also has the support of Chief Constable Simon Chesterman and is supported by the management of the National Armed Policing Co-ordination Office.

Contact for further information
If you require any further information please contact:
Researcher:

Hannah Ashwell
University of the West of Scotland,
High Street,
Paisley,
PA1 2BE
UK
E-mail address: hannah.ashwell@uws.ac.uk

Supervisor:
Dr Lucy Troup
University of the West of Scotland,
High Street,
Paisley,
PA1 2BE
UK
E-mail address: lucy.troup@uws.ac.uk

Chief Constable Simon Chesterman has appointed a further supervisor, Chief Inspector Mark Baines from the National Armed Policing Co-ordination Office. He can be contacted via email on: Mark.Baines@lancashire.police.uk

Thank you for taking part in this study.

The purpose of my research is to look at the differences between what AFO's experience with their mental health and wellbeing and what they choose to disclose on paper at their annual occupational health assessment.

It is hoped the results from my work will help create a national pathway for officers who would like to voluntarily go offline for a fixed period of time, and to shape more effective policy to support AFO's if they feel they need to access help and support without feeling like they will compromise their AFO status.

The first part of the questionnaire consists of the standard psychological health screening form questions which you'd answer at your annual Occupational Health assessment. Please give the answers you would normally. The second part of the questionnaire is more conversational, and should be answered as if you were talking to a trusted friend or colleague.

You do not have to give your personal details, but if you'd like to help with further research, feel free to add your contact details at the end of the questionnaire. This is optional.