The Essex police traffic officer whose photography has helped manage PTSD

On Christmas Day 2017, a postulation constabulary officer's beingness began dilatory to unravel aft helium was injured during a pursuit. Two years aboriginal helium underwent country and was told helium could nary longer bash the occupation helium loved. His intelligence wellness took a nosedive but helium recovered solace successful his long-time hobby - photography.

"As a postulation serviceman I saw things no-one should see," Det Sgt Colin Shead says.

"Now I spot things I privation everyone to see."

Here, helium speaks candidly astir his intelligence health, and shares immoderate of the images that person helped him cope.

The 51-year-old serviceman has clocked up much than 30 years connected the force, joining Essex Police's roads policing portion (RPU) successful 2010.

"I'd ever wanted to bash postulation work, due to the fact that I wanted to support radical from harm connected the roads," helium says.

"When you start, there's the large thrill and excitement of flying astir each implicit the spot - past you get the superior broadside - and the fatalities.

"You're the archetypal astatine the country erstwhile someone's been killed - you spot that first-hand and it takes its toll."

After his genu was injured successful 2017, helium kept working, acrophobic helium mightiness suffer the occupation helium loved.

But aft country successful March 2019 helium was told helium could nary longer beryllium operational - helium would person to instrumentality a table job.

"In June that year, everything came to a head. It was breaking point," helium says.

"Everything came retired - everything I had held inside."

Det Sgt Shead was diagnosed with post-traumatic accent upset (PTSD).

His PTSD was the effect of a operation of factors - losing his relation successful roads policing and the traumatic things helium had witnessed and experienced connected that job, helium says.

"I would get intrusive thoughts, and flashbacks.

"There was a peculiar country from a fatal mishap wherever a teenage lad came disconnected his motorbike, deed a histrion and helium died.

"The boy's begetter lived adjacent and came moving implicit - helium fell to his knees successful beforehand of maine - and past helium conscionable picked up his son's clang helmet and threw it away."

The country would "play implicit and implicit again successful my head", helium recalls.

He credits his person and mentor, wildlife lensman Russell Savory, with "saving" him.

Photography and filming became "like a lifeline".

"When you're retired there, it's a implicit focus, you ore connected the taxable substance - you tin walk 4 oregon six hours connected a taxable for conscionable 1 infinitesimal of film."

Photography has go much important arsenic the years person gone on.

"There is nary beingness extracurricular of your lens. There isn't. Your absorption is connected what you are looking astatine oregon looking for."

The decease of his gramps successful 2016 was 1 of a fig of tipping points helium had been pushing to the backmost of his mind.

"I was with him successful infirmary erstwhile helium died.

"I was successful my azygous - I saw my azygous arsenic thing that protected radical - but it couldn't support him.

"I mislaid religion successful my azygous - it was similar a wake-up telephone that we're not superheroes."

Looking back, Det Sgt Shead says his unwellness was astir inevitable.

"I retrieve backmost successful 2018 proceeding astir a fatal [accident] connected the A12, and conscionable thinking, 'please, not different one'.

"I had to person my azygous burned aft attending. I couldn't get the stench of decease - from the country - retired of it.

"I thought I'd enactment this to bed, but it was 1 aft another, aft another, it was becoming endless.

"I became alert of my ain mortality - driving astatine precocious speeds."

Taking pictures is the implicit opposite, helium says.

"It's astir sitting and waiting for things - thing but you and the elements and nature.

"No distraction. Nothing."

Det Sgt Shead is acold from unsocial arsenic an serviceman with PTSD.

The Police Federation - which represents much than 130,000 fertile and record officers successful the UK - says the numbers suffering with intelligence wellness conditions person soared.

Figures published past month amusement 13,263 officers were absent owed to stress, depression, anxiety, oregon PTSD successful the past fiscal year, compared with 8,450 the twelvemonth earlier - an summation of 57%.

"One successful 5 officers person PTSD, and an overwhelming bulk person experienced a traumatic incidental astatine immoderate constituent during their vocation which undoubtedly has a important interaction connected their intelligence health," the federation's caput of wellbeing, Sue Honeywill, says.

The numbers are apt to beryllium higher arsenic the figures bash not see civilian constabulary unit specified arsenic transgression country investigators.

Essex Police says providing enactment to its unit is "a work we instrumentality precise seriously".

Its Trauma Risk Management (TRiM) practitioners supply assistance to officers and unit pursuing a traumatic lawsuit and place those who whitethorn beryllium astatine risk.

Managers, the unit says, are trained to place erstwhile an serviceman oregon unit subordinate whitethorn request assistance and an occupational wellness squad and worker assistance programme springiness entree to support, counselling and different services.

Officers and unit returning to enactment pursuing a play of lack are supported done recuperative duties and ensuring tenable adjustments are successful place, truthful their moving situation reflects their needs.

Figures for Essex Police at the extremity of March this year amusement 180 unit were connected recuperative duties and 211 connected adjusted roles.

After country successful 2019 Det Sgt Shead had immoderate clip off.

It gave him, helium says, "time to reflect, to halt and deliberation and unwind".

"The trigger came during this time," helium says.

"On 15 June 2019, I conscionable recovered myself shaking - holding onto the bath sink, looking successful the reflector and thinking, 'this isn't right'."

Essex Police's counselling and wellbeing squad stepped in, and helium was diagnosed with PTSD.

"I went done a play of counselling, therapy and medicine - it was truly achy for me."

He had six months disconnected work.

"I was told it was classical PTSD and successful a mode it was a alleviation having it labelled.

"I was burning myself out, and I hadn't realised."

To beryllium told helium could nary longer relation arsenic an operational roads policing serviceman was a shock.

"My satellite collapsed," helium says. "I didn't articulation to beryllium down a desk.

"This has taken what I thought was my beingness career, distant from me.

"My caput says that astatine the driblet of a chapeau I'd bash [roads policing] again, but, being honest, capable is enough."

For the past 3 years helium has had a desk-based presumption moving with the lawsuit probe squad dealing with thing from roadworthy rage to theft.

"I bash bask what I do. I learnt a batch successful those six months disconnected - that you person to look aft yourself, oregon you're nary bully to anyone.

"I deliberation I'm present honorable with myself."

Det Sgt Shead appealed against restrictions placed upon him by the force's aesculapian advisor that took him disconnected operational work.

He was palmy and went connected to walk his job-related fittingness test.

In September this twelvemonth helium was deployed to Operation London Bridge, connected work arsenic the Queen's coffin was taken from Buckingham Palace to the Palace of Westminster.

"Knowing I could spell backmost retired determination if I wanted to, has made a immense difference," helium says.

"But I'm blessed - genuinely blessed - and mentally, I'm good."

Getting retired and astir with his camera has played a ample portion successful that.

"If you're prepared to wait, past yet everything volition autumn into spot erstwhile it comes to wildlife.

"It whitethorn instrumentality a fewer years but you'll get determination eventually."

Speaking astir 1 of his photographs of the prima rising implicit the oversea astatine Dovercourt, taken successful April, helium says: "One happening Russell [Savory] taught maine is that if you privation to get that shot, you person to get up early.

"Some days I'm up astatine 03:00 to photograph the sunrise, oregon instrumentality pictures of beavers.

"Life is short, the time is long. Make the astir of it portion you can."