Huge rise in police officers taking sick leave due to mental health issues
Savage cuts by the Tories have left our police forces on the verge of a mental health crisis, a leader warns.
The number of officers taking time off sick due to the trauma of dealing with “horrific cases” has more than doubled in a decade.
And it comes as dwindling resources and ever smaller staff numbers cause officers’ workloads to spiral.
Steve Hartshorn, leader of the Police Federation of England and Wales, said: “Police officers want to do their best while facing horrific cases.
“The increase in workloads is significant – that’s down to austerity and budget cuts.
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“They’re dealing with more trauma and violent scenes without any break. There’s a lack of support.”
Former Met Police officer John Cahill suffered PTSD after working on a child abuse case (David Dyson)Cops in England took more than 730,000 mental health sick days last year – up from 320,000 in 2012/13.
That equates to more than 2,000 officers absent each day last year compared with 877 in 2012/13. London’s Metropolitan Police – Britain’s largest force – was the worst-hit with an estimated 292 officers absent each day due to mental health issues.
Police forces also suffered a 30% cut in numbers from 2010 to 2022, according to Home Office figures.
There were 6,252 fewer frontline officers last year compared with 2010, Labour said. And the party says a failure to invest in policing means officers are more likely to face mental health issues that make them miss work.
Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Labour MP for Tooting, says the Tory government has run down public services (Getty Images)Dr Rosena Allin-Khan, Shadow Cabinet Minister for Mental Health, said: “This Tory Government has run down public services – so many of our frontline workers are off sick citing mental health reasons.
“I am tired of seeing people unable to get the help they desperately need – all because of this Government’s disregard for the safety and security of the British people.
“The next Labour government will rebuild neighbourhood policing, delivering a package of 13,000 extra neighbourhood officers and PCSOs, putting police back on the beat.”
Police officer left with PTSD told to 'get on with it'
For high-flying cop John Cahill, it was a horrific child abuse investigation that pushed him into a mental health crisis.
The Met Police detective was so traumatised by having to look at indecent images he now struggles to be around kids.
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John, 58, who joined the Met in 1991, won a landmark £17,500 payout last year after a judge ruled the force had failed to provide him with enough mental health support during the 2014 investigation – which resulted in a pervert being jailed for 20 years.
John Cahill with the former Met Police Commissioner Cressida Dick (David Dyson)John, who retired in 2019 after being diagnosed with PTSD, said: “The images on his computer are going to affect me for the rest of my life. To this day, I don’t want to be near children or babies.
“When I asked for help I was just told to get on with the job.”
The Met said the force offers a range of mental health support.
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