Startling rise in mental ill health among police officers

5 September 2024

More than 14,500 UK police officers were signed off work over the past year due to stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD it can be revealed.

Nationally, this figure is 9% up on last year - and a staggering 130% higher than when the survey was first run 11 years ago.

Ed Russell, Chair of Cumbria Police Federation, said: "The national figures surrounding officer sickness due to mental ill health sadly come as no surprise.

“The number of boots on the ground front-line officers continue to run at some of their lowest ebb in years, against a backdrop of bureaucracy, falling investment, woeful morale and an increased national population.

“Officers are leaving policing at unprecedented rates and action is urgently required at Governmental levels to address this. The recent riots clearly displayed yet again the excellent and vital job conducted by officers up and down the country, with officers going above and beyond to protect the public from the thuggish and deplorable behaviour of some.

“Running towards violence, being punched, kicked and verbally abused on a daily basis, dealing with some of the most harrowing and traumatic incidents imaginable on a daily basis comes at a cost, and these statistics show that.

“Policing is being stretched to the limit and the Government needs to look at the conditions and welfare of officers and make positive changes.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Wellbeing Lead, Andy Rhodes, said: “Policing is an extremely fulfilling profession where officers can make a genuine difference to people’s lives and to their communities. Sadly the role they play means they can often be faced with some incredibly challenging and hostile situations and, over time, this can take a toll.

“For example, the recent unprecedented violent disorder saw more than 300 officers physically injured across the country and many more will also be impacted psychologically, although sometimes it may not surface for many years after the incident.

“Stressful, fast-paced situations and repeat exposure to trauma can affect officers and many police staff in a number of ways, which is why we are committed to supporting the psychological wellbeing of our people, working closely with leading experts and with the dedicated Occupational Health teams in forces.”

Mr Rhodes said that each force was committed to early-intervention debriefs when officers were exposed to trauma, alongside mental health peer support and psychological risk assessments. He added that the chief medical officer for policing had developed a national suicide action plan.

He said: “Policing is a rewarding career as long as the right support is made available to those who need it, when they need it.”