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Question 27 - Would you feel comfortable seeking faith support from a
colleague?

Figure 17

No
7%

Yes
93%

Respondents were asked to provide reasons for their answer. A significant proportion
stated they already did seek faith support through their colleagues within the CPA
(21%). A further 10% stated they would seek support from a colleague as long as
they were a Christian. Other respondents outlined they had sought support from
colleagues or would be willing to do so in the future. Some though indicated that it
would be preferable that the colleague they approached held some religious faith, or
ministry skills. Some felt it was comforting to know that there were colleagues who
shared their religious views. Some respondents stated they had provided support to
colleagues on faith matters, and that this experience had been useful. Issues of
confidentiality were outlined as an important consideration in seeking this kind of
peer support, and likewise personal relationship was a factor, as well as the
appropriateness of the particular situation. One respondent stated that support from a
colleague would not be a first choice, but would be considered nonetheless.

Question 29 - If you would like to add any further comments or raise issues
that you feel have not been covered, please feel free to do so here.

Respondents were granted an opportunity to raise any further issues. The comments
are outlined as follows:

Chaplaincy / Ministry arrangements – It was suggested that there should be
increased visibility of police chaplains in police stations. It was proposed that they
could hold surgeries in the stations, and could hold more regular meetings within the
Basic Command Units, and the Local Policing Areas. It was felt that contact
information needed to be updated and better disseminated, as chaplaincy provision
in its current form was limited and not easily accessed. One respondent raised an
issue about multi-faith chaplaincies, stating they would not feel comfortable in using
them. Aside from chaplaincy it was felt that existing ministry skills among police staff
had not been identified by the service and could be used positively in the future. It
was suggested to this end that the service had an old fashioned view of ministry
which needed to develop. Likewise it was proposed that church groups could be
better utilised as they can provide a host of support services including assistance
with community safety, reassurance, problem solving, and crime prevention.