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PTSD in Policing: Know Your Rights, Take Control, and Start Recovery

Not all wounds are visible. For those serving in the New Zealand Police, trauma is an occupational risk—but PTSD is not just “part of the job.” It’s a recognised workplace mental injury, and you have rights under New Zealand law.


On National PTSD Awareness Day, the Blue Hope Foundation urges all police workers and their families to understand what PTSD is, what legal protections exist, and—most importantly—how to take early, proactive steps to safeguard your wellbeing.

National PTSD Awareness Day
National PTSD Awareness Day

What Is PTSD in a Police Setting?

Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) is a mental injury that can occur after exposure to a traumatic event, like witnessing violence, attending a fatal crash, dealing with suicide scenes, or being in a life-threatening situation. In policing, these events are occupational hazards.


Common PTSD symptoms include:

  • Flashbacks or nightmares

  • Emotional numbness, anger, or anxiety

  • Avoiding reminders of the trauma

  • Difficulty sleeping, hypervigilance, or being easily startled

  • Impulsive or risk-taking behaviour

PTSD is not a weakness. It is not “just stress.” It is a diagnosable, treatable injury. And when it happens in the line of duty, you are entitled to support.


Don’t Wait for the Trauma Policy: Take Responsibility Early

Internal trauma policies often sound reassuring, but can be inconsistently applied or delayed. If you've experienced trauma at work, don’t wait for a system response. Take control of your recovery.


Top Tip: Register the Trauma With Your GP

If you’ve been involved in a traumatic incident—even if you feel fine at first—see your GP and report it immediately. This simple step:

  • Creates an official medical record of the incident

  • Ensures early access to mental health care

  • Protects your ability to lodge an ACC mental injury claim if symptoms appear later


ACC will need evidence of a work-related traumatic event. Your GP’s documentation is often the foundation for that claim.


What the ACC Act Covers

Under the Accident Compensation Act (ACC Act), PTSD is covered if it results from a single, clearly defined traumatic event experienced at work. Your mental injury must:

  1. It occurs while you’re carrying out your duties

  2. Be clinically diagnosed by a psychiatrist or psychologist

  3. Be clearly linked to that traumatic event

What isn’t covered? Gradual stress, personality conflicts, or organisational dysfunction—unless directly tied to a single trauma—are not eligible for mental injury cover under ACC.

Police officers are often denied help due to a lack of early documentation or misunderstanding of these criteria. That’s why acting early is so important.


WorkSafe NZ: Your Employer’s Duty of Care

WorkSafe New Zealand recognises trauma exposure in policing as a foreseeable workplace hazard. Under the Health and Safety at Work Act 2015, NZ Police has a legal obligation to:

  • Prevent or minimise risks to psychological health

  • Respond quickly to workplace injury

  • Avoid re-traumatising assessments or delays

  • Ensure a safe and supported return to work


Employers must treat mental injury with the same seriousness as physical injury. If they don’t, it may amount to a breach of both employment and health and safety law.


Recovery Starts With You: What You Can Do Now

If you’ve experienced trauma, whether recently or long ago, here are five immediate steps you can take:

  1. Acknowledge what happened. Trauma is real. Suppressing it makes it worse.

  2. Tell your GP. This helps build a timeline of events and can start the ACC process if needed.

  3. Seek professional help. PTSD doesn’t always show up immediately. Clinical diagnosis is key.

  4. File an ACC mental injury claim if your symptoms persist.

  5. Talk to someone you trust. Support from others can make recovery more manageable.


How the Blue Hope Foundation Can Help

We are a lived-experience, non-profit organisation dedicated to supporting police workers, families, and those who witness the early signs of trauma, especially the women connected to our officers through our Ima Project.


Our services include:

  • Help with lodging ACC PTSD claims

  • Return-to-work navigation

  • Guidance on WorkSafe and human rights obligations

  • Trauma-informed legal referrals

  • Support aligned with the UN Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (CRPD)

We are also actively working toward recognition as a Disabled People’s Organisation (DPO) to influence systemic reform from within.


PTSD Is an Injury. You Have the Right to Heal.

Today, on National PTSD Awareness Day, we call on all current and former police workers to take one powerful action: if you’ve experienced trauma on duty, talk to your GP and protect your health.

Don’t wait for the system. Start recovery on your terms—and let us walk beside you.


🌐 Website: www.bluehope.co.nz



 
 
 

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