Exhausted detectives are retiring early, losing sleep and sacrificing family life as soaring workloads leave them fearing victims are being let down.

They investigate child abuse, hunt dangerous offenders and support victims through the darkest moments of their lives. But behind the scenes, detectives are battling a crisis of their own.

Our latest My Last Set campaign film reveals the stark reality facing investigators across policing, with experienced officers warning they could no longer keep up with relentless demand, chronic staff shortages and ever-growing caseloads.

The film, part of our wider Copped Enough campaign, features serving detectives whose identities were protected by actors voicing their experiences.

Their message was simple: victims deserve better.

One detective, after 24 years in the job, said they had chosen to retire early. Not because they wanted to, but because they no longer believed policing was sustainable.

Working more than 60 hours in a single set of shifts, they had juggled prisoners, high-risk offenders and complex investigations while carrying the constant fear that something critical could be missed.

“That's the reality I live with every day,” they said.

Another detective described a department drowning under pressure, with more than 900 live investigations and significant vacancies across the team. The burden did not end when the shift did. They said they checked emails on rest days, lay awake at night and carried the weight of victims' expectations long after leaving the office.

“My biggest fear is what happens when a victim feels they've been forgotten,” they said.

Nowhere was the pressure more acute than in child protection.

One detective with 25 years' service described teams running with just a fraction of the officers they should have, while investigating some of the most serious and distressing crimes imaginable.

“These aren't numbers. They're children,” they said.

After a career spent protecting some of society's most vulnerable victims, they too had decided to retire early.

The stories exposed a troubling picture of a profession losing experience while demand continued to rise.

Every departure meant years of expertise walking out of the door. Those left behind were expected to pick up the slack, creating a vicious cycle of vacancies, burnout and mounting pressure.

Ben Hudson, chair of the Police Federation's National Detectives Forum, said: "Behind every investigation is a victim seeking justice, a family waiting for answers and a detective working tirelessly to deliver them. Yet detectives are carrying unsustainable workloads, teams remain under-resourced and experienced officers are leaving in growing numbers.

"How much longer can this continue before the impact on victims, investigations and public confidence becomes even more severe?

“For years, the detective role has been undervalued. Too often, detective resources have been used to absorb organisational risk rather than investigate the most serious and complex crime, leaving officers with workloads that are neither reasonable nor sustainable.

“If policing is serious about retaining skilled detectives and maintaining effective investigations, officers need fair pay, proper support and working conditions that do not come at the expense of their health, family life or wellbeing.

"Detectives cannot continue to be the answer to every organisational challenge while receiving little recognition for the specialist skills they bring. The role must be properly valued before lasting damage is done.”