The Importance of Local Approaches for Suicide Prevention: The LOSST LIFFE Model

We write to your journal to illustrate the importance of suicide response and prevention, and to illustrate the value of a new model of police practice which has translatable potential for police forces across the world. Globally someone dies by suicide every 40 seconds, and for each death there are 20 more persons attempting suicide(WHO, 2014). Such figures demonstrate that suicide is a serious issue in terms of trauma and loss. It was as recent as 2013 when the World Health Organization (WHO) developed their Mental Health Action Plan where they positioned suicide prevention as a crucial priority worldwide. In response, the UK government outlined a range of strategic objectives through its policy that included targeting high-risk groups, promoting mental health in vulnerable populations, reducing access to means, improving support for those bereaved by suicide and funding research (HM Government, 2019). [Opening paragraph]