Recently released data indicates ongoing mental health challenges among South Africa's first responders, with 54 South African Police Service SAPS personnel reported to have died by suicide during the 2024/25 reporting period.
According to figures cited in an independent report, this equates to roughly one suicide every week. Over the past seven years, 300 police suicides have been recorded nationally.
The South African Society of Psychiatrists SASOP has raised concerns about mental health pressures among police officers, paramedics, emergency nurses, doctors, firefighters, and rescue workers. The organisation attributes these challenges to prolonged exposure to trauma, limited resources, and insufficient access to mental health support.