Increase in police calling in sick could be linked to impact of Novichok incident

8 June 2019

Swindon Advertiser 

THE toll of the Salisbury Novichok incident on police officers could be one reason behind higher levels of staff sickness within Wiltshire Police.

Police phoned in sick on average 13.8 days per person in the 12 months between March 2018 and 2019. Now the force is investigating the reasons behind the spike in sick days and the psychological reasons keeping people off work.

Police and Crime Commissioner Angus Macpherson said: “Staff sickness has been increasing and we have commissioned an investigation.We want to triangulate the longer term consequences of the exceptional year in Salisbury and find out how the longer term stress relates to the amount of over time, number of hours worked and pressure brought on them and their families.

“Action plans are developed, a joint staff wellbeing strategy and last week a welfare wagon went to all sites so every member of staff can talk about welfare and get a health check.”