Startling rise in mental ill health among police officers

5 September 2024

Startling rise in mental ill health among police officers

More than 14,500 UK police officers were signed off work over the past year due to stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD it can be revealed.

Nationally, this figure is 9% up on last year - and a staggering 130% higher than when the survey was first run 11 years ago.

In Leicestershire, 274 police officers were signed off work due to stress, depression, anxiety or PTSD in the financial year 2023-2024.

Andy Spence, Chair of Leicestershire Police Federation, said: “These numbers show that more than 10 per cent of the force suffered with mental health last year. On a regular basis officers are exposed to traumatic incidents and secondary trauma from gathering vital evidence.

“We know that officers can witness between 400-600 traumatic episodes in their career; that compared with an average person who witnesses 3-4.

“Officers are struggling with the increasing workload, more demanded of them and historically having little support from a Government. Recently we have heard that there are more officers assaulted, the seriousness of these assaults has got worse with officers being stabbed in the face, being driven over.

“This affects not just the officers but their colleagues who see this and the aftermath.

 “Access to specialist help needs to be prioritised; we cannot wait until officers are broken and going sick – more intervention needs to take place before they reach this point. Mental health needs to be recognised and treated. If police officers are themselves broken they can’t care for the public.”

The National Police Chiefs’ Council’s (NPCC) Wellbeing Lead, Andy Rhodes, said: “Policing is an extremely fulfilling profession where officers can make a genuine difference to people’s lives and to their communities. Sadly the role they play means they can often be faced with some incredibly challenging and hostile situations and, over time, this can take a toll.

“For example, the recent unprecedented violent disorder saw more than 300 officers physically injured across the country and many more will also be impacted psychologically, although sometimes it may not surface for many years after the incident.

“Stressful, fast-paced situations and repeat exposure to trauma can affect officers and many police staff in a number of ways, which is why we are committed to supporting the psychological wellbeing of our people, working closely with leading experts and with the dedicated Occupational Health teams in forces.”

Mr Rhodes said that each force was committed to early-intervention debriefs when officers were exposed to trauma, alongside mental health peer support and psychological risk assessments. He added that the chief medical officer for policing had developed a national suicide action plan.

He said: “Policing is a rewarding career as long as the right support is made available to those who need it, when they need it.”