WELLBEING


long period of time. We’re talking months and years, not hours or days.” Paul’s wife became ill health retired


due to severe psychological trauma during her time as a police officer. The failure to address this despite cries for help made her incredibly ill for years and she is still suffering now. “It’s very disturbing to see what was


a dedicated capable police officer now unable to work in any capacity and suffering extreme anxiety even at the sight of a police uniform,” he added. “What we’re seeing is a legacy of poor mental health. It is manifesting itself into serious illness because it’s not addressed early, and we do not have the infrastructure in policing to deal with it at all. Prevention is better than cure.” According to our latest Pay and Morale


Survey, almost half of officers are aware of their forces offering some kind of proactive support, designed to help team members before mental health issues develop or worsen, which is crucial. Wellbeing champions are the most


commonly accessible (65 per cent), as well as gym access (60 per cent) and wellbeing rooms (56 per cent), which do go some way towards strengthening wellbeing, however, counselling from qualified professionals is very limited, stated Paul. “The NHS is struggling itself, so access


A third of respondents are not able to


take all their annual leave, and 66 per cent have had rest days cancelled. One officer told us: “Being constantly fatigued from work, having to miss out on rest day social time because I had to sleep after work, but I can’t meet them before a shift because I’ll be too tired for work, but I also can’t meet them after unless I’ve slept properly as I’m too tired. So, I am missing out on lots of opportunities to see friends and families on my rest days.”


TIME FOR CHANGE – MANDATORY POLICY IS KEY


As part of our Copped Enough campaign, we are not only pressing for fair pay and pay system, but are lobbying for stronger mental health support, to be rolled out across all forces. Wellbeing standards across the 43 forces are a postcode lottery for police officers currently and a set of minimum standards must be made mandatory, rather than guidance. This includes better training for line managers.


“Mandatory policy is the


amounts of public money forces are spending to defend themselves.” PFEW is also pressing for mandatory psychological risk assessments and for frontline roles. At present, these assessments are only optional in forces and are limited to what is referred to as “roles at risk”. “Frontline policing is a terribly


traumatic job to do over a 35–40-year career, but it seems there is a general avoidance of psychological screening from chief constables, possibly because they’re afraid of the results, and again, it’s something we’d like to see mandated,” Paul continued.


PFEW is also lobbying the Government for a change in legislation so police officer deaths by suicide and attempted deaths by suicide must be recorded by forces by law and included in RIDDOR. This would be a vital step towards acknowledging and addressing this devastating issue that affects so many lives.


key to unlock tangible improvements for our dedicated police officers on the ground.”


to counselling is very limited and it’s becoming such an issue now where attrition rates are increased purely because of working conditions and poor mental health, where it hasn’t been addressed when it should have been from the outset.” Four in five officers experienced feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety, or other difficulties with their mental health or wellbeing in 2024. Almost all of these officers (93 per cent) stated work has worsened these mental health issues. Members were asked what reasons they


had for planning to leave the police service, and the mental health and wellbeing ramifications of the role had a major effect for 75 per cent, the second largest reason, with morale sitting at the top. Officers who felt mental health problems were worsened by work were asked what aspects of the job had affected them. A high workload (60 per cent) and a poor work/life balance (51 per cent) were the most pressing challenges.


Our Pay and Morale Survey revealed the quality of support officers received when they did tell their managers was inconsistent. A minority of respondents (40 per cent) who had had those conversations felt they were well supported by the police service after it, although that is an improvement on 2023 (38 per cent). But, worryingly, 16 per cent said they were treated differently in a negative way after they discussed their mental health with their line manager. “There’s little training on recognising


symptoms and how to deal with it if they do recognise it,” highlighted Paul. “We’re seeing an increase in line managers instigating poor performance processes against cops who are not performing because they’re ill, not because they don’t want to perform or they’re incompetent, which is again is making it worse. “In the last triennial we’ve recovered over £115 million in compensation for members alone, through claims against forces, with disability being the main factor - and that’s just compensation, it doesn’t include legal costs, or the vast


PFEW acknowledges the creation of the Police Covenant, but feels it has no teeth and pales in comparison to the Armed Forces Covenant. “There’s no data to show there’s been any improvements,” stressed Paul. “Nothing is mandated and it’s just, ‘here’s the best practise - over to you’. It


turns into APP, and everyone carries on as normal. The Police Covenant offers no meaningful support. “Mandatory policy is the key to unlock tangible improvements for our dedicated police officers on the ground. They sacrifice so much to protect our communities, 24/7, 365 days a year – their time with their family and friends, often their wellbeing and their safety and sometimes even their lives. If we simply just continue what we’re doing now with no commitment to radical change, 10,000 officers could be lost every year, perpetuating the struggles with demand, leading to more cancelled rest days and annual leave, and ultimately more mental health issues. It all ties in together.”


If you are struggling, please reach out to your local Fed rep. We have also gathered and stored dozens of resources for members in one central location, so you can find the right one based on your situation.


Visit www.polfed.org/campaigns/asktwice 15 | POLICE | AUGUST | 2025


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