Police officers’ 40,000 sick days as force hit by stress epidemic
SoARING numbers of police and civilian staff are being hit by ‘psychological illness’ – taking nearly 40,000 sick days.
The time lost to mental health problems has risen by more than 5 per cent in the past year, figures show.
Such illnesses are now the ‘biggest reason for absence’ among officers, accounting for about 40 per cent of sick days.
The Scottish figures come amid evidence of rising assaults, declining morale and a warning that more than 1,000 officers could face the axe.
Last night, Scottish Tory justice spokesman Liam Kerr said: ‘These alarmingly high rates of psychological illness illustrate a deepening morale crisis within our police force.
‘The SNp has refused to listen to warnings about this and instead reduced the number of frontline police officers and increased their workload.’
police Scotland figures comparing April to June this year, 2019/20, with the same period the previous year show days lost to ‘psychological illness’ for officers and staff rose 5.4 per cent from 37,736 to 39,796.
A force report states ‘average working days lost for officers [from all illness] in the April to June 2019/20 period is 2.24, a 7.7 per cent increase from [2.08 in] 2018/19’. Average working days lost for civilian staff in April to June 2019/20 is 3.64, a 2.5 per cent rise from 3.55 in 2018/19.
Some 42.5 per cent of officer absences – and 34.2 per cent of staff absences – now relate to psychological illness. The report, to the Scottish police Authority, said ‘mental ill-health significantly affects our officers and staff, acting as the biggest reason for absence’.
Scottish Labour justice spokesman pauline McNeill said: ‘police officers are being pushed to breaking point. our police service is chronically under-resourced.’ We reported yesterday how Chief Constable Iain Livingstone has warned that hundreds of officers may be axed because of a looming cash crisis, with some estimates suggesting the final toll could be more than 1,000.
In March, HM Inspectorate of Constabulary warned most frontline police in Scotland’s biggest division are ‘disillusioned’, with ‘insufficient numbers of officers to meet demand’ in the Greater Glasgow area one of the key ‘frustrations’.
It also emerged assaults on police in Scotland had reached a five-year high, at more than 1,600 in three months
David Malcolm, deputy secretary of Unison’s police branch, representing civilian staff, said: ‘police staff deliver a wide range of complex and specialised functions but they’ve been cut by over 2,000 since 2010 – a one in four decrease – because of centralisation, budget cuts and politically driven targets. These cuts cause stress for those left behind doing their best to serve their communities. It means more are injured or off sick.’
police Scotland said: ‘The number of individuals benefiting from trauma-focused treatment has increased from 72 in 2017/18 to 101 in 2018/19 – a 40 per cent increase. Individuals benefiting from this treatment represents less than 0.5 per cent of our workforce.’
Deputy Chief Constable Fiona Taylor said: ‘The health and well-being of officers and staff is fundamental to the delivery of policing and I am committed to doing everything I can to support our people. our “Well-being Matters” approach provides a range of support services.’