"The retention of experienced officers cannot be underestimated if GMP is to continue to improve"

28 October 2024

63% of those who left the police service pointed to the job’s negative effect on their family and personal life as a critical factor, a new Leavers Survey has shown.

The Police Federation of England and Wales captured the experiences of 2,654 officers who had left the job and discovered that reasons for them leaving, included long/irregular hours, high stress and no work/life balance.

The survey showed 27% of police officers are resigning before reaching pension age, with low morale and poor job satisfaction cited as the main reasons.

More than half of resigning police officers stated their mental health has been severely affected by the job.  

74% of resigners cited low morale as a major reason for leaving. 41% of resigners and 32% of retirees pointed to physical health issues as a reason.

60% said understaffing/the inability to meet team or unit demands drove their decision.

Mike Peake, Chair of Greater Manchester Police Federation, said: “The role of a police officer in GMP is getting harder and harder. Government funding falls short of what is needed, and there just isn’t enough police officers to cope with the demand that the second largest police force in England and Wales must deal with.

“The statistics that show that more officers are leaving before reaching pension age are alarming but sadly not surprising. The combination of having to work longer hours, having rest days cancelled, a rise in police assaults, and a growing culture of blame is now taking its toll.

“More and more police officers are now taking their work home and are unable to take much needed time off for rest and recuperation. Also, more officers are finding themselves the subject of long and drawn-out IOPC investigations which carries such a huge burden on not just those individual officers but also their families and loved ones.

“The retention of experienced officers cannot be underestimated if GMP are to continue to improve the service that it provides to its communities. More needs to be done at a local and national level to make police officers feel valued for the difficult role they carry out.

“As a start I would like to see Chief Officers and Politicians be more vocal and speak out in support of those officers who come under attack on what now seems to be a daily basis.”