Call to improve support after officer's suicide

A coroner has called for better mental health support for police officers after a student officer took his own life.

Anugrah Abraham, 21, died in woodland near his home in Bury in March 2023, while training with West Yorkshire Police at Leeds Trinity University.

Joanne Kearsley, senior coroner for Manchester North, said the fact there were no mental health nurses within the force's occupational health unit was a "cause for concern".

The issue was one of six raised by Ms Kearsley in a prevention of future deaths report, which has been sent to bodies including the College of Policing and West Yorkshire Police.

An inquest into Mr Abraham's death, held in October, was told he was seen by the force's occupational health team in December 2022, three months before he died.

The coroner ruled he died from suicide.

In her report, Ms Kearsley said the assessment of the officer's mental health was "inadequate" and there had been a "lack of consideration" for adjusting his working duties, given his "mental health issues were linked to" his work and his course.

She said the inquest had been told the lack of mental health nurses within West Yorkshire Police's occupational health unit "may be indicative of the national picture".

Ms Kearsley said she was also concerned there had been no post-death investigation into the quality of the care given to Mr Abraham by occupational health.

West Yorkshire Police, the College of Policing and the National Police Chiefs' Council have all been given 56 days to respond to the coroner's findings.

Speaking after the inquest, Mr Abraham's family, who called him Anu, said he had been "set up to fail" by the police and claimed he had been subject to racism and bullying during his training.

West Yorkshire Police disputed the claim and the Independent Office for Police Conduct said it did not find any evidence to support it. However, the watchdog said Mr Abraham had been picked on or treated less favourably than others.

Recording her conclusion, Ms Kearsley ruled Mr Abraham's death was not preventable, adding: "There is no evidence that any steps should have been taken which would, on the balance of probabilities, have made a difference to the tragic outcome."

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