‘This is a silent crisis, mandatory suicide reporting is needed’

23 January 2026

The absence of compulsory recording of police suicides is preventing the service from understanding the risks officers face and from taking effective steps to prevent further deaths, Gwent Police Federation has said.

Figures released by the Police Federation for England and Wales (PFEW) show that more than 100 police officers and staff are known to have taken their own lives between 2022 and 2025, including at least 70 serving officers. During the same period, more than 200 attempted suicides were identified.

Despite the seriousness of these figures, police forces are not currently required to formally log suicides or attempted suicides within their workforce. This means the true scale of the problem remains unclear, and policing is not recognised by the Office for National Statistics as an occupation with elevated suicide risk.

Suicide prevention

And branch chair Matthew Candy says this lack of mandatory reporting is holding back meaningful progress on officer welfare and suicide prevention.

“Policing cannot address a problem it does not properly track,” he said, adding: “Without consistent recording, we are left reacting to tragedies rather than learning from them.

“If suicides are not formally captured and reviewed, patterns are missed, warning signs go unrecognised, and opportunities to intervene are lost. That puts lives at risk.”

PFEW’s analysis also highlights a significant link between suicide and officers who were subject to misconduct or criminal investigations. Of the 70 officer suicides identified between 2022 and 2025, 47 involved officers under investigation. The same pattern was found in the majority of attempted suicides. In 2025 alone, 12 of the 13 known officer suicides involved officers facing investigation.

Matthew said these findings underline the importance of reliable data and transparency.

“These figures represent officers dealing with prolonged stress, uncertainty and isolation,” he continued.

Mandatory reporting

“If incidents are not recorded properly, these connections can be overlooked or dismissed. Mandatory reporting would ensure that these pressures are recognised and addressed, rather than ignored.”

Gwent Police Federation is backing PFEW’s six-point plan to tackle police suicide, with compulsory recording of suicide and attempted suicide at its heart. The plan calls for:

The plan calls for:

• Recording and reporting all suicides and attempted suicides, backed by law.
• Limiting misconduct investigations to 12 months.
  Treating suicide as a work-related incident under Health and Safety legislation.
• National rollout of the STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) initiative, including mandatory TRiM support and the Stay Alive app.
• Reforming the coronial system to reflect policing-specific risk factors.
• Fully funding the Police Covenant to support officer welfare and wellbeing.

Tiff Lynch, PFEW chair, said: “This silent crisis has to end. Policing is a unique job carrying unique risks and officers know that the work they do will scar them mentally and physically.

Duty of care

“What they shouldn’t have to deal with is inadequate welfare support and a box-ticking approach to the duty of care forces have in their people.”

For urgent mental health help or immediate support, please contact:

Samaritans: 116 123

Oscar Kilo’s Mental Health Crisis Line: 0300 131 2789

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