353 Cleveland Police officers signed off for mental ill health

20 July 2026

Police officers are being exposed to repeated trauma without the protections afforded to workers in other high-risk professions, Cleveland Police Federation has warned, as new figures reveal the scale of mental ill health across policing.

353 Cleveland Police officers were signed off work over the last financial year due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD).

Federation Chair, Lauren Somerville, said the figures came as no surprise given the relentless pressures facing frontline officers in Cleveland.

"Here in Cleveland, officers face demand and pressure like nowhere else in the country. They repeatedly deal with some of the most traumatic and distressing incidents imaginable, day in and day out.

"We only need to look at recent news stories to see the horrific incidents officers are called upon to investigate. Those headline-making cases are just a small snapshot of what they routinely experience. Of course that's going to leave officers stressed, anxious, depressed and suffering the effects of repeated trauma,” she said.

Lauren said local officers are increasingly "plugging the gap" left by overstretched public services.

"My members respond to mental health crises, medical emergencies, safeguarding concerns, children's services issues, adult social care matters and everything in between. It's little wonder officers are struggling under the weight of that responsibility."

19,443 Police Officers in the UK were signed off work over the past year due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder.

Lauren said policing was falling behind other high-risk professions when it came to protecting its workforce from psychological harm.

"If a construction worker is repeatedly exposed to physical hazards, those hazards are recorded, assessed and mitigated. If someone works with dangerous chemicals, their employer has a legal duty to monitor that exposure and manage the risks.

"Police officers are exposed to psychological hazards every single day - not one or two traumatic incidents, but hundreds over the course of a career. Yet policing remains poor at recording the cumulative impact of trauma exposure."

Lauren welcomed the Government's introduction of the Trauma Tracker, a new wellbeing tool being rolled out across police forces in England and Wales to help identify officers and staff at risk from repeated exposure to traumatic incidents, but said more action was needed.

"Policing needs to move towards the standards we expect in other dangerous industries, where risks are identified, monitored and managed before people reach breaking point.

"If we can properly understand the cumulative impact of trauma, we can shape policies, health and safety protections, and support systems that genuinely protect our officers and strengthen the service as a whole,” she added.