Mental health issues for serving officers is an increasing concern for the Police Federation and the service overall. Resilience in the service is at an all-time low and officers are being put under inordinate amounts of pressure which is taking its toll on their health and wellbeing.
A survey conducted by the PolFed on 17,000 officers in 2016 showed 39% seeking help with mental health issues. More than a quarter of officers who have taken sick leave attributed it to stress, depression or anxiety, while 65% said they still went to work even though they felt they shouldn’t have because of the state of their mental wellbeing. For more information, visit here POLFED mental health.
A recent survey by Mind revealed that 5% of the staff and volunteers they interviewed from police, fire, ambulance and search and rescue services had made an actual attempt to take their own lives. The 2016 Pay and Morale Survey also revealed that 69.4% of officers who were actively looking to leave the force wanted to do so because of the “impact of the job on health and wellbeing”.
Mind have made a toolkit for those who are working in the police force. If you know someone who is currently working in this sector and struggling, please encourage them to contact the Keeping Well BLMK team.