Detective's Survey: Cuts have had a “huge impact” on morale
12 October 2017
More than half of detectives say #PoliceCuts have had a “huge impact” on their morale - while more than a quarter said their physical and mental health has been affected.
The figures have been published today as part of the biggest ever survey of investigators in the UK.
Half of respondents said cuts had led to a substantial increase in fatigue (53 per cent) and stress (49 per cent) as they battled to keep up with demand, while a staggering nine in ten said they had to take time off due to mental health issues caused by, or exacerbated by, their work.
Seven in ten officers reported at least one incident of presenteeism - whereby they turned up at work when they should really have been recuperating from illness.
The figures revealed an “unstoppable crisis in detective policing”, Police Federation of England and Wales said as it called for the Government to act quickly to better fund the service.
Karen Stephens, Secretary of the Police Federation National Detective Forum, said: “The facts speak for themselves. These results clearly show that detectives are overwhelmed with increased pressures brought on by a lack of resources. Morale is low, people are exhausted and there is little sign of improvements to come if things stay the way they are.”
Over three quarters (76 per cent) of those surveyed said their workload had increased in the last year and the same proportion admitted to workloads being too high over the last 12 months. 73 per cent of officers felt that they were not able to provide the service victims needed due to these high workloads.
Eight in ten detectives said their work kept them away from their family and personal life more than they would like and 10% of respondents said they would quit the role immediately if they could find another role to do.
Mrs Stephens added: “The single aim of every officer, detectives included, is to protect and help others. But what these results show is that despite their best efforts, the demands of the role do not allow them to do this. This is further emphasised with over half of the respondents saying they did not even have time to stay up to date with the latest training.”
The Police Federation of England and Wales survey, which ran throughout September, updated results last obtained in 2015. A total of 7,803 detectives replied.
