Chair backs calls to end 'silent crisis' of police suicide

20 January 2026

‘Don’t suffer in silence.’ That is the message from North Yorkshire Police Federation chair Rob Bowles as new figures reveal the devastating scale of police suicide and attempted suicide.

Data compiled by the Police Federation of England and Wales (PFEW) shows more than 100 police officers and staff died by suicide between 2022 and 2025. At least 70 of those were police officers.

During the same period, there have been more than 200 attempted suicides. The true figures are likely to be higher as the recording of officer suicides and attempted suicides is not mandatory.

Now, branch chair Rob is backing PFEW’s call for urgent reform, including making the recording and reporting of suicide and attempted suicide in policing a legal requirement.

Rob said: “These figures are startling. They are not just statistics, but colleagues, friends, and loved ones who have been lost, and it’s heartbreaking.

Silent crisis

“And what is even more shocking is that we don’t have a true picture of this silent crisis because there is no legal requirement to record police suicides, and that has to change.”

North Yorkshire Police Federation recorded a powerful and deeply moving video to encourage officers to talk more openly about their mental health and suicide.

First released for 2024's World Suicide Prevention Day, the video is a heartfelt plea to break down the barriers that prevent officers from addressing their mental health struggles.

It featured Federation representatives and members opening up about their experience of suicide.

Watch that film....

Rob said: “Being a police officer is not like an ordinary job, and we want to continue to break down the stigma around mental health in policing.

“Life at work and at home, can sometimes get too much, but there are people who can help and support you.

"I don’t want anyone to feel they have to bottle everything up. Please speak to a Fed Rep or talk to a trusted colleague or friend. Please don’t suffer in silence.”

Suicides

PFEW said that because forces are not required to record suicide or attempted suicide, policing is not currently regarded by the Office for National Statistics as an ‘occupation at risk’.

It has set out a six-point plan to end the crisis:

• Chief Constables need to agree today to begin recording and reporting on suicide and attempted suicide in the workforce. We believe this needs to be a requirement set out in law and support Lord Bailey’s amendment to the Crime and Policing Bill which would make recording and reporting mandatory.

• Police conduct regulations need to mandate a 12-month limit for disciplinary investigations into police officers, whether that is by the IOPC or police forces.

• Health and Safety legislation needs to treat police suicide as an incident at work and therefore reportable and investigated under ‘RIDDOR’ rules.

• All forces should implement the Federation’s STEP (Suicide Trauma Education Prevention) campaign, a new national initiative launched by Hampshire Police Federation and backed by PFEW. It aims to tackle the rising number of police officer suicides and exposing the often-unseen trauma officers face when repeatedly attending suicide incidents. It calls for mandatory TRiM (Trauma Risk Management) interventions for any officer attending a suicide.

• The coronial system needs to reflect the unique aggravating or contributory factors of the role of police officers in suicide and ensure that the crisis is dealt with nationally rather than through a patchwork of “prevention of future deaths” reports after individual inquests.

• The Police Covenant needs to be funded to better support the welfare and wellbeing of police officers in the same way that the Armed Forces Covenant and Covenant Trust does.

Federation national chair Tiff Lynch 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.

“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.”