Sickness figures need action, says branch secretary

12 October 2026

North Yorkshire Police Federation says officers must not be left to cope with the physical and mental pressures of policing without adequate support.

It comes after figures showed that almost 250,000 working hours were lost to sickness across the force during 2025/26.

The figures are included in a report going before the York and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel.

The report says the North Yorkshire Police has some of the highest levels of long-term police officer sickness compared with other forces.

During 2025/26, approximately 246,822 working hours were lost due to sickness absence.

Concerning

Federation branch secretary and equality and wellbeing lead, Tony Barnes said: “The figures are concerning and need to be acted upon.

“As an employer, it is incumbent on the Force to look after its workforce.

“Its people are its most important asset, and we need to make sure their wellbeing is a priority.

“When officers are struggling with their physical health or their mental wellbeing, there needs to be appropriate support available to help them through whatever they are experiencing.

Right facilities and services

“That means having the right facilities and services in place.

“It also means creating a culture where officers feel comfortable coming forward and asking for help when they need it.

“Some officers still see it as a sign of weakness to seek support or fear that they may be seen as unfit for their role, and we need to end that stigma.”

The report to the York and North Yorkshire Police, Fire and Crime Panel said that psychological ill health represented only 12.2 per cent of absences but accounted for 38.6 per cent of all working hours lost.

Mental health

This demonstrates ‘the significant impact of mental health-related conditions’, the report said.

It added that to ‘lessen these pressures, the force provides occupational health support, annual psychological welfare checks, trauma awareness training, Trauma Risk Management (TRiM), wellbeing events, mandatory support for high-risk roles and oversight through Operation Hampshire’.

Tony said: “The mental health impact on officers is not unique to North Yorkshire Police.

“Policing now has the highest rates of mental health-related sickness absence of any profession.

Prevention

“This shows how trauma accumulates over months and years if left unaddressed.

“We are facing a legacy of poor mental health because problems are not tackled early, and there is no consistent infrastructure in policing to prevent harm. Prevention is always better than cure.

“Supporting officers properly is in everyone’s interests. It matters for the individuals concerned, their colleagues and the service they are able to provide to the public.”