Hands Off Our Rest Days: Hertfordshire officers owed 32,027 days off

11 May 2026

Policing is failing to cope with demand, says Hertfordshire Federation after it was revealed its members are collectively owed a staggering 32,000 rest days.

Branch chair Luke Mitchell said the figure raised concerns over officer welfare, morale, and ultimately, public safety.

Luke said: “The figure is truly shocking, but the depressing thing is it’s probably not a surprise.

“It is yet another sign of the incredible strain that policing is under, and the system cannot cope with the demand.

“Our members are humans, with families, friends, and commitments away from the job.

“They’re having fewer days to recuperate and are missing out on events in their personal lives, which is bound to impact their morale.”

 

Hertfordshire Police Federation chair Luke Mitchell.

 

The figure, which has been revealed following a Freedom of Information request by Police Oracle, shows that, collectively across England and Wales, rank-and-file officers are owed a total of 817,884 rest days.

The news comes after the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) launched its Hands off our rest days campaign in response to proposals from police chiefs to weaken protections for police officers’ rest days.

The campaign warns that policing is facing unprecedented pressure and that rest-day safeguards are vital to protecting officers’ wellbeing.

Last month, Luke spoke about the ‘essential’ need for officers to recover and rest in his column backing the campaign.

Rest days owed

He said the sheer number of outstanding days showed a system under huge strain.

Speaking after the FOI figures were released, Luke said: “In 2018, the Force was in a similar position and agreed to do a ‘buy-back scheme where officers could sell their rest days owed back to the Force at a value of time and a third.

“This is no longer being offered, poor government funding and constant cuts to budgets mean it's simply not viable to pay officers their rest days.

“Despite attempts to reduce the number of rest days officers are owed, we’re merely going round in circles, and it is yet another sign that policing can’t cope.

“And while our Force has tried to find solutions previously and we’re grateful for their constructive engagement with us, this is a national issue, and that is where the lead needs to be taken, because something has to change.”

Unsustainable workloads

Tiff Lynch, Police Federation national chair, said: “Unsustainable workloads that put officers at risk are, shamefully, the operating model of policing.

"These figures lay that bare.

"We will not accept the continued erosion of officer safety and health, nor chiefs whose only answer to this crisis is to make it cheaper and easier to take officers’ rest time away.

"We have already taken enforcement action against forces failing in their legal duty of care, and we will do so again and again until the message hits home."

READ MORE: Response officer survey results.