Media reportage of suicide among police officers in Ghana: A mixed method analysis

Figures & data

Figure 1. Flowchart showing study sample selection.

Table 1. Demographic characteristics

		N
Sex of officer suicide	Male	73
	Female	5
Ranks of officers perceived suicide	Superior officers
	Superintendent	27
	DSP	17
	Subordinate officers
	Inspector	1
	Sergeant	9
	Corporal	3
	Constable	26
Mode of perceived suicide	Rifle	21
	Pistol	4
	Hanging	1
Setting for perceived suicide	In the room	34
	In the washroom	13
Lethality of suicide process	Head	3
	Throat	6
	Neck through the eye	2
	Through the left eye	2
	In the jaw	1
	Through the chin	2

Table 2. Themes and subthemes

Themes	Subthemes	Quotes	Comments
Psychosocial precipitants	Stress	“Over the few years, we have experienced trends of suicide among officers and this is due to the nature of our work which is very stressful, therefore we have to reach out to them on some of the things they can do to minimise stress when the need arises,” he said.	According to this officer, the conditions in the service are such that they become stressed when carrying out their duties, which could account for why some police officers commit suicide.
		Protection of life and property duties can be stressful, and this has made suicide in this population a current health issue in different parts of the world particularly in Ghana.	By the nature of their work, police officers become stressed, leading to suicide among them. The report has it that, such a course is not peculiar to Ghana.
	Depression	A retired police officer has revealed why some personnel of the Ghana Police Service have resorted to committing suicide in line of duty in recent times. According to Chief Inspector Edward Afful, who retired after 21 years of service, some personnel are not happy, adding that many are depressed on the job.	Having been in the service for so many years, this retired police officer seem to suggest that most officers are not happy with their work, which in turn graduates into depression,\ and consequently suicide.
		“Police officers in this country need prayers. They are really suffering. Most of them are not happy and that is why they keep taking their lives. Unfortunately, conditions for these junior officers are so rife in the Ghana Police Service with very little psychological help and support in times of need. The happenings in the police can sometimes make you so stressed and depressed, and so it is not surprising that we are witnessing suicides on the increase in recent times,” he said.	According to this report, the suffering of officers calls for prayer for them. The suffering, as suggested, is the course of police officers committing suicide. The suffering, coupled with the lack of psychological help to aid them address the stress and depression they encounter in the course of their duties, leaves them with little or no options than to commit suicide.
	Psychological problem	According to reports, he shot himself in the washroom of the residence of the Togolese opposition leader in the early hours of Monday, 1 February 2021. Meanwhile, Graphic Online has reported that the officer had requested a leave extension to seek medical attention which was described as “somehow psychological” but his superiors denied his request.	The course of this officers decision to commit suicide is attributed to the refusal of superior officers to grant the officer a leave extension to seek medical help. It appears that the officer also had some psychological issues to deal with in his life. Probably, the insensitivity on the part of the superiors to his plight pushed him to commit suicide.
	Stigma	It is significant that a retired police officer has bared his chest out. Paul Bampoe, a retired Superintendent noted on Adom FM Show on Tuesday that officers who take their own lives … They would rather keep these problems to themselves for fear of being stigmatised.	This report seems to suggest that some officers commit suicide to escape the stigma they encounter in the course of duty. They will rather die than let people know what they are going through.
		The Director of Public Affairs at the Ghana Police Service, Superintendent Mrs Sheilla Kessie Abayie-Buckman, has told GhanaWeb in an exclusive interview that one of the reasons which could account for the rampant suicide among police personnel in the country could be stigmatization.	This senior officer added her voice by indicating that officers sometimes commit suicide to escape stigma. To her, the high rate of suicide is due to stigma.
	Exposure to trauma	In an interview with Kumasi-based Nhyira FM, he indicated that the nature of the work of the police sometimes exposes officers to traumatic experiences which pose a toll on their mental health and could lead to post-traumatic stress disorders among other complications. “I’m not surprised that it has happened again and it is not going to be the last time that it will happen. It is likely to happen again until concrete steps are taken in the form of a mental health evaluation for all police officers.	This officer seems to suggest that so far as most officers’ job require that they encounter some form of trauma once in a while, they are likely to develop some form of PTSD that could lead to some other mental health complications such as suicide. In essence, he proposed that officers be evaluated from time to time to ascertain their mental health status.
Too high expectations		“Police officers are just like any other human being and they also need the necessary support of everybody to live in terms of their personal or even professional life, so when we are demanding of them expectations that are too high, we should be reminded that they are also humans.	According to this report, it appears that some officers do not have a full knowledge of what is expected of them before they join the service. Their inability to cope with the demands of the public pushes them to commit suicide.
Expected to man up		Explaining her stigmatization theory, Mrs Abayie-Buckman furthered that the police personnel are seen as strong in the eyes of the public, and being law enforcers they are perceived to be the least people who will seek medical advice on mental issues.	It appears the public expect that officers man up since they are supposed to protect them. Therefore, it seems awkward for a police officer to exhibit any form of frailty. Rather than admit their weakness and suffer stigma, officers will prefer to commit suicide.
Education of children		Commenting on situations that may trigger suicidal tendencies by police officers, he noted that issues concerning the education of their children, … among other things can drive one to commit suicide.	The inability of officers to meet the financial obligation of their families such as payment of school fees could course them to commit suicide.
Lack of public support		He stressed that police officers like all other humans have wide-ranging issues which could impact negatively on their performance if not offered adequate protection. “If you count on the police to protect you and you don’t protect the police, how do you expect them to fulfil their mandate as enshrined in the law?” he asked.	This senior officer suggested that the reason officers commit suicide is the lack of support from the public. As an officer, he thinks that there should be mutual support between and police and the public. Being human, the absence of such support could push officers to commit suicide.
Institutional lapses	Issues of promotion	Commenting on situations that may trigger suicidal tendencies by police officers, he noted that issues concerning promotion, … among other things can drive one to commit suicide.	According to this report, undue delay in one’s promotion can trigger suicidal tendencies and for that matter an officer committing suicide.
	Meagre salary	Commenting on situations that may trigger suicidal tendencies by police officers, he noted that issues concerning … meagre salary, … among other things can drive one to commit suicide.	The meagre salary of officers is considered to be one of the causes of suicide among police officers.
	Internal victimisation	Commenting on situations that may trigger suicidal tendencies by police officers, he noted that issues concerning … internal victimization, among other things can drive one to commit suicide.	Internal victimization is also noted to be a cause for suicide among officers in the police service in Ghana.
	Feeling ignored by superiors	“Sometimes these officers refuse to share their problems because they feel they will not be heard and as a result keep it to themselves and fail to discuss their issues with their superiors and then end up taking their lives. Most of them are going through a lot and having mental health issues,” he said.	The lack of sensitivity on the part of senior officers to the plight of junior officers could course them to commit suicide. Such perceived insensitivity makes junior officers refrain from sharing their problems with their superiors. As such they bottle up their problems without a way to vent them. The result being suicide.
	Lack of thorough background check	Mr Saani also questioned the effectiveness of the police recruitment processes over the period, describing it as an eyesore. He urged the police to exercise adequate due diligence and conduct thorough background checks to ensure that the right personnel are recruited in the service.	This security expect was of the view that officers do not receive the needed psychological screening before they are admitted into the service. This failure on the part of the service makes it difficult to weed out individuals with background psychological conditions in the recruitment process.
Failed paternity test		The 33-year-old policeman with the Ashanti Regional Police Command committed suicide Wednesday morning after one of the three women he had children with had allegedly told him he was not the biological father of their child.	This officer committed suicide when he got to know that the child he thought he had fathered was not his son. Such betrayal caused him to commit suicide.
Failed marriage proposal		The Garu District Police Commander, Assistant Superintendent of Police (ASP) Alexander Tieku who confirmed the incident to Graphic Online on Tuesday explained that preliminary investigations showed that the deceased, 31, had a relationship problem. According to ASP Tieku, the deceased’s action may have been triggered by a failed marriage promise made to her by her fiancé.	The disappointment this female officer suffered from her relationship made it unbearable for her to continue to live. This report conveys the idea that “broken heart” could have precipitated the decision to commit suicide.
Fed up with this life		Constable Yelnona Eugene of the National Protection Unit allegedly shot and killed himself on 1 February 2020, while on duty in Accra. In the Western Region, Superintendent Cepram McCarthy Zenge, shot himself dead leaving behind a suicide note. The note read: “I’m fed up in this world.”	Some officers commit suicide because they are fed up with life. To them suicide is a way to obtain permanent “rest” from their problems or suffering.
Can’t take the disgrace		The police debunked media reports that Sgt. Mohammed was part of police officers, who had been accused of stealing equipment from the Osagyefo Barge. But the deceased allegedly left a short note that read “I can’t take this disgrace, something I don’t know about.”	It appears this officer considered himself to be innocent of an accusation and to save himself from disgrace, suicide was the option he deemed fit.
Access to deadly weapons		He said these officers also commit suicide just to end their problems because they have access to deadly weapons which are meant for their work.	This report seems to suggest that officers resort to suicide because they have access to weapons that could easily aid them carry out the act.

Table 3. Relationship between type of media house and nature of suicide reportage

		Recorded			Not recorded		Chi-square test	P-value
	Private media	Public media	Total	Private media	Public media	Total
	n(%)	n(%)	n	n(%)	n(%)	n
suicide
Rank of officer	46 (85.2)	8 (14.8)	54	13 (86.7)	2 (13.3)	15	.02	.313
Sex of officer	45 (83.3)	9 (16.7)	54	14 (93.3)	1 (8.7)	15	.95	.153
Age of officer	21 (91.3)	2 (8.7)	23	38 (82.6)	8 (17.3)	46	.94	.141
Weapon used	18 (75)	6 (25)	24	41 (91.1)	4 (8.9)	45	3.28	.038*
Suicide note	18 (85.7)	3 (14.3)	21	41 (85.4)	7 (14.6)	48	.00	.322
Reason for suicide	23 (79.3)	6 (19.7)	29	36 (90)	4 (10)	40	1.55	.092
Place of suicide	32 (84.2)	6 (15.8)	38	27 (87.1)	4 (12.9)	31	.12	.253
Mode of suicide	13 (81.3)	3 (18.7)	16	46 (86.8)	7 (13.2)	53	.31	.211

*P < .05