Mental Health Awareness Week: police officers’ wellbeing must become top priority

14 May 2021

Police leaders and politicians are being urged to ensure the mental health and wellbeing of officers across Wales are given top priority as the country emerges from the coronavirus crisis.

The pandemic has left officers facing a wide range of unprecedented challenges and the Police Federation said it was clear the last 12 months had taken a heavy emotional toll on its members.

The last year has seen frontline officers stepping up to enforce regularly-changing lockdown regulations and travel restrictions as well as handling high-profile public disorder events.

Statistics from the demand, capacity and welfare survey, which is carried out by the Police Federation every two years, found officers in Wales are more likely to be insulted, threatened, hit or kicked since Covid restrictions were introduced in March 2020.

The survey also found almost 80 per cent of officers across the UK had experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing over the previous 12 months.

Nicky Ryan, the Federation’s Welsh lead, said officers’ mental health had to be taken seriously and is calling for new measures looking at fatigue and recovery to be introduced.

Speaking during Mental Health Awareness Week, she said: “The pandemic has put everyone under tremendous pressure and police officers, and staff, have been on the frontline, serving and protecting their communities.

“Many have been assaulted while doing that – including by people weaponising the virus by claiming to have it and then spitting or coughing over officers.

“They have feared getting the virus, and also taking it back to their families. And they have also been under pressure due to the multiple changes to lockdown restrictions.”

Officers across Wales have had to quickly adapt to rapidly changing Covid legislation and guidance throughout the pandemic which has added an extra layer of complexity to an already challenging set of circumstances.

And they have to deal with the added pressure while also tackling their own concerns over health, caring for their children and vulnerable family members and home schooling.

Nicky said: “Officers are feeling the strain. They are only human and I know from speaking to officers that a lot of our members are really struggling to cope with the pressure.”

She said forces and the Welsh Government should now step up to make sure those who protect their communities are offered protection themselves.

And she said plans for the forthcoming Police Covenant must be tough enough to protect frontline officers and give due regard to mental health concerns and the support they need.

The covenant, once it becomes enshrined in law, will create a statutory duty to do more to support the police.

The Police Federation wants the initial focus of the covenant to cover physical protection, health and wellbeing and support for officers' families.

Nicky, who took over as the Federation’s Welsh lead last month, is aiming to meet as many politicians and stakeholders as she can over the coming months and will be raising concerns about officer wellbeing.