Police suicides cause concern in Uruguay

The suicide of three Uruguayan police officers in recent days raised alarms in the country and exposed a problem that the guild unions have warned about, for which they demand greater prevention. So far this year, 19 police officers have committed suicide.

Between Sunday, October 30 and Monday, October 31, three policemen committed suicide, a 25-year-old member of the Republican Guard, a 24-year-old member of the Program for High Operational Dedication (PADO) and another officer from Montevideo.

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Through a statement, the Union of Police Officials (Sifpom) warned that it is “facing an emergency that urgently needs to be responded to.”

According to the local press, so far this year 19 police officers have ended their lives. The figure exceeds the cases of 2021, the year in which 16 police officers committed suicide, and those of 2020, where four deaths from this cause were recorded within the institution.

From Sifpom they warn of delays of up to two months to receive psychological care and the economic and labor damages that police officers who access medical certification go through.

The union also highlights the strong stigmatization and pressure on those who receive medical leave to return to work later.

“We need quality and human care for all” asks the statement that denounces that sometimes “mistreatment” occurs by “those who should contain it.”

Currently, of the more than 4,000 medical certifications that imply disqualification from office for health reasons, 18% are linked to mental health problems.

The certification supposes an economic impact, given that the policemen receive a percentage of their salary that reaches 65% of what they receive monthly if they were operational.

In addition, if the police officer had other jobs, as usually happens in private security companies, the medical certification for the institution prevents him from performing other tasks.

Speaking to TV Ciudad de Montevideo, the president of Sifpom, Patricia Rodríguez, maintained that “the police profession should have prevention on the issue of mental health, due to the very condition of what the profession is and so far it has not been achieved.”

As for the causes, many of the medical licenses are due to working conditions, harassment, situations of workplace or sexual harassment, according to the leader.

The union questions the management of the National Director of Police Health, José Pedro Delgado and requested his resignation.

It also demanded that the authorities urgently intervene in preventive matters.

With information from Sputnik