Sussex Police Federation attends Parliament to air officer concerns

19 May 2025

Sussex Police Federation Chair Raffaele Cioffi and Vice Chair Andy Newman attended Parliament last week on the invitation of our local Lewes MP James MacClearly.

Having met James previously Sussex Federation have highlighted strong concerns around the current impact on officers and the start statistics of officers sadly taking their own lives.

From 2011 to 2022, there were 242 suicides of police officers & PCSOs. From 2021 to 2024 an estimated 80 former/current officers took their own lives.

Officers experience some of society’s most unpleasant acts and suffer long lasting effects.

One speaker at the event, Rachael Swann, CEO of Grassroots Suicide Prevention highlighted tools and lived experiences to support and address this crises.

Raffaele said: “This input really hit home for us in Sussex, as we have recently experienced our own loss. The Office of Constable is a calling that demands a great deal from us. It’s encouraging to see one of our local MPs taking a genuine interest in this issue. I will continue working with him to strengthen the support available to our members on this deeply important topic.”

With courage, with dignity, without fear nor favour, without the right to strike and with unfathomable workloads, your police officers continue to fight for your safety and wellbeing.

Now, quite simply, we’ve copped enough.

Behind every statistic is a police officer who’s missed family meals, lost sleep, had their rest days cancelled, faced abuse and struggled to make ends meet. But there’s only so long you can stretch people before they snap, and the loss to our communities will become immeasurable.

It’s time for the government to stop taking our dedication for granted.

Officers deserve fair pay, respect, and a real cost-of-living rise that recognises the sacrifices made daily to both the public and their personal circumstances.

You can’t keep expecting more and offering less.

#CoppedEnough #PolicePay #PoliceMorale #SupportOurPolice #FairPayNow #PolicingCrisis