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.

In Greater Manchester, 1,028 police officers were signed off work due to stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD in the financial year 2023-2024.

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “This high number of  mental health related absences in the force are alarming, but sadly not surprising.

“In 2023 / 2024 over a thousand police officer absences related to mental health, including stress, depression, anxiety, and PTSD, this is almost double the figure from the previous year.

“As we see GMP having to make difficult decisions in the light of shrinking Government funding, officers in GMP are having to work harder and for longer. Fatigue is well and truly kicking in and following the recent instances of disorder across the country this is only going to get worse as officers have had to work longer shifts and had their rest days cancelled leaving little time to rest and recuperate. 

“When you combine this with the rise of assaults on officers in GMP it is no wonder that we see an increase in the number of officers whose mental health has been impacted.”

He added: “Officers in GMP work amazingly hard to protect our communities but the stats evidence that more needs to be done to protect those who protect others. It is GMP’s responsibility to look after the welfare and wellbeing of its police officers and there is clearly a need to do more.

“Following recent events, I think the new Labour Government has had a fantastic opportunity to see how valuable and hard-working police officers are, and I now want to see the current Government better value and support those in policing for the extremely difficult job that they do day in day out.”

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.”