Home Office urged to take the STEP campaign seriously

30 September 2026

Policing has a problem.

This year alone we are sadly close to 20 officers and staff that have taken their own lives - that’s two a month… roughly one colleague lost every two weeks.

If policing had lost officers and staff to this number and degree in any other way there would likely to be a public enquiry, questions asked of the Home Office and an urgent review of practices.

It’s why we continue to see the relevance – and sad need – for the continuing STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign.

As it is the true number for 2026 is still difficult to be definitive of… this is partly due to the number of inquests still to be determined on.

Statistics from the Police Federation of England and Wales show that more than 100 police officers and staff died by suicide between 2022 and 2025.

At least 70 police officers have died during that time and there have been more than 200 attempted suicides.

47 of 70 police officer suicides and 173 of 236 attempted suicides between 2022 and 2025 are attributable to officers involved in misconduct or criminal investigations against them.

In 2025 12 of 13 police officer suicides involved officers under investigation.

According to the Grassroots suicide prevention charity 1 in 4 people will have suicidal thoughts in their life time, 1 in 15 will go on take some kind of action on this.

Policing is different from many other professions in that we attend every single suicide that occurs.

We see the devastation that causes, the method used, the problems they faced and try to process the trauma. Anecdotally we have seen officers replicating methods of suicide that they have dealt with, at locations they have been to.

We also know – as the figures show - that the vast majority of suicides are by officers and staff subject to internal investigation.

The STEP campaign wrote to Police Minister Sarah Jones on World Suicide Prevention Day on 10 September and asked her for the following:

· Require all police forces to accurately record the number of police officers and staff who died by suicide. For them to commit to doing this by January 2027. And for the data to be published annually as part of the Police Covenant.

· Push Chief Constables for the wide Roll out of the Stay Alive App – provided by the Grassroots Charity – to the mobile phones of ALL police officers and staff. At the moment it is a postcode lottery as to whether officers can have it.

· Drive for a commitment from the NHS to provide greater mental health and wellbeing support to police officers who are struggling with their wellbeing and are at risk. Their need has to be expediated.

· Force police forces to provide early intervention and support for officers when it is needed. Including mandatory referrals for officers for trauma support when they are under investigation for their conduct and for officers who have attended a suicide.

· Provide a commitment to provide ring fenced funding for police officer wellbeing support. On top of the budgets already given to police forces. Forces should not have to make difficult financial decisions to protect their workforces. Officers should not have to pay for it themselves.

· A review of the purpose of force Professional Standards Departments and the Independent Office for Police Conduct and the impact of their work on officers under investigation. Is there a care for the welfare of colleagues as part of their work?

We are yet to receive a reply.

Since we delivered that letter to the Home Office, we know of at least another two colleagues who have taken their own lives.

The fact is policing has a problem.

It is a problem that we still don’t understand fully and one that is not going away.

Action is needed in order to assist officers in times of crisis and try to provide them with the support, compassion and care that they need.

We can not wait to hear of further deaths around the country where there is something that we can do help or prevent these.

If police officers and staff are struggling they can contact the Mental Health Crisis Line (call 0300 131 2789) and Samaritans (116 123).