The police on the verge of suicide: – We’re not doing this to be mean to you
It is night and a police patrol receives a call from a concerned relative. Senior police officer in the South-West police district, Vidar Ramstad, is on duty and moves out together with colleague Ørjan Skau. They quickly find the person they are looking for. The police car stops. The two policemen quickly get out of the car. They walk over and grab the arms of the possibly suicidal person.
– We don’t stop you to be fucking with you, do you understand? We don’t want it to end here, says Ramstad.
Åsted Norge is in the police car and is monitoring the situation. For reasons of the person’s name and personal information anonymised.
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– We all have our limits
In the back of the police car, the people calm down, in conversation with Ramstad. He tries to get the person to tell why life has become so bad that suicide is an option. The person explains that he is in a life crisis and needs to stop for a while.
– We all have our limits. But this is more than a break, you know. Quite a few people have called and been worried about you, says Ramstad.
After calming the person down, they drive to the emergency room. Before the police patrol moves on, Ramstad looks the person in the eyes and says something he can help, if only a little:
– We’re not doing this to be mean to you. I really it will work out. And that someone can make you think better. Maybe you don’t see things so brightly now, but something has a tendency to work itself out one way or another, says Ramstad before he hands the person over to healthcare personnel.
Many missions related to suicide
It is not the first time Ramstad has stopped someone from taking their own life. The assignment is not unusual for the police.
Suicides and attempted suicides are something the police often have to assist with. So far this year alone, more than 6,700 assignments related to suicides and attempted suicides have been registered in the police’s log nationally, says Tor Kjetil Kallmyr, head of political investigations at Kripos da he recently visited Åsted Norway. He clarifies that the figure includes everything from reports of concern to suicide.
– I did a quick search in the “guard record” nationally, he says.
Practicing at the police college
658 people committed suicide in Norway last year. Two out of three are men. No one knows for sure how many attempt their own lives, but it is estimated to be around 6,000 people annually. Some try several times.
This type of assignment is therefore practiced at the Norwegian Police Academy. One of the most important things is to create a communication where you manage to regulate emotions, explains psychologist at the Norwegian Police Academy, Nils Morten Leite Larsen. At school, they use the “Listen, reassure, explain” model.
– The police must go into such missions with a focus on listening to the people, by using different previous listening techniques, but also try to reassure the people. You do this by having a calm appearance, being aware of your tone of voice, but also by having an explanatory style. That you constantly explain what is going to happen, says Larsen.
Once contact has been established, the hope is that the person will gain trust in the police.
– Once this trust has developed, it will also be easier to reach the person, says Larsen.
Facts about suicide
The number of suicides per 100,000 has decreased somewhat since 1990, but is still higher than in the 1950s and 60s. The incidence of suicide is roughly the same in Norway as in Europe, North America and Australia. Over 70 percent of those who commit suicide in Norway are men.
Research has shown that socio-economic difficulties, such as low income and education, unemployment and divorce, affect men’s suicide risk more strongly than women. Men also contact the health service less often for help with depression, anxiety and other psychological problems, according to the National Center for Suicide Research and Prevention.
Good follow-up is important
LEVE, or the National Association for Survivors of Suicide, supports survivors and those affected by suicide. Secretary General Knut Harald Ulland says it is important that the police approach suicidal people with care and respect.
– Our experience is that, as a general rule, the police do the best they can to help people who are suicidal. The problem is often a lack of help from psychiatry earlier and that the threshold for admission is too high, he says.
LEVE learns that people who are in acute danger of suicide as a general rule receive appropriate help in the vast majority of cases in Norway. When a person comes to the emergency room, for example, after a suicide attempt, an assessment of the risk of suicide must be made. Actions must then be taken based on the assessment.
– But it is desirable to have even better follow-up of this group. Suicide and attempted suicide are important health problems with a great burden on the individual, on survivors and on the health care system. Acute risk of suicide should be treated as acutely as a heart attack, says Ulland.
Here you will get help
If you need help, there are several places you can contact. School nurse, emergency room, doctor and the municipality’s own crisis teams.
The emergency room on: 116 117 (if urgent help is needed)
Emergency number: 113 (if urgent help is needed)
Mental Health: 116,123
Red Cross: 800 33 321
The church’s SOS: 22 40 00 40