Mandatory recording of police suicides agreed by chiefs – branch welcomes breakthrough

29 April 2026

Gwent Police Federation has welcomed an agreement by chief constables to implement mandatory recording of police suicides and attempted suicides in a landmark move for officer wellbeing.

The development comes after the inquest of the death of Sussex Police’s Sergeant Ben Websdale, who died by suicide last year – a case which has seen voices grow louder for greater accountability, transparency and foresight around what is often called policing’s ‘silent crisis’.

Branch vice chair Jamie Jones has given his backing to the agreement, describing it as a significant step towards a full picture of the mental health landscape within the profession.

“Getting forces to record all incidents of suicide and attempted suicide is a big change, but one that is both very positive and long overdue,” he said.

“Until we have comprehensive figures, we are only guessing at the scale of the problem, and as such, we won’t have all the tools needed to tackle it.

“Police officers face risks and demands unlike anything else, with constant exposure to violence and trauma, long and antisocial working hours, and ongoing issues with pay and conditions – the least they deserve is a system which doesn’t fail them with the improper recording of crucial data.

“This news represents a breakthrough in fixing that system, and I hope it can be formally introduced as soon as possible.”

PFEW campaign

A campaign for mandatory recording of police suicides has been driven by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW), which collected its own data between 2022 and 2025, revealing that at least 70 serving officers were known to have died by suicide in the three-year period.

Calls have also been strengthened in recent times by senior coroner Penelope Schofield, who released a prevention of further deaths report in February, recommending the introduction of mandatory recording.

And according to a report in the Mirror, the National Police Chiefs’ Council (NPPC) has now come together to agree to this – as well as commit to a trauma support system, annual psychological assessments, and suicide education training throughout forces in the UK.

Jamie continued: “For this long-term Federation objective to be realised is very pleasing, especially with all the campaign work put in at national level by the PFEW.

Misconduct investigations time limit

“Next, I would like to see the movement’s other components come into play – namely the 12-month limit on all misconduct investigations, which are shown to have a clear relationship with officer suicides and attempted suicides in the PFEW’s own dataset.

“This is a good start, but further reform is required if we are going to identify patterns, minimise risk factors and improve regulations to properly address this crisis.

“For everything they give, I know our members and officers across the country deserve meaningful action and for no stone to be left unturned in the protection of their wellbeing.”