Rise in sick days taken by police officers

THE number of sick days taken by police officers in Tayside increased by almost a quarter last year, new figures reveal.

In total in 2015-16, 9,496 sick days were lost due to illness in the Tayside division of Police Scotland, 1,830 more than the 7,666 lost in 201415. This equates to a 23.8% rise year-on-year with 5,851 sick days lost so far in 2016-17 up to November 30 2016.

When asked how many police officers there are in Tayside, Police Scotland said they do not generally discuss operational numbers, but the force’s website states there are 3,096 available officers with a total local resource complement of 962.

Scottish Conservative North East MSP Liam Kerr said the rise was a “concern” and was part of a nationwide pattern affecting the force.

He said: “This is a pattern that’s replicated in other parts of the country and it’s clearly of concern. We know more officers are having to take on other roles away from the frontline, leaving others overstretched.”

Nicky Page, head of people management at Police Scotland, said: “Police Scotland takes its responsibilities as an employer very seriously, and has a range of schemes in place to ensure that any employee who is unable to perform their duties is fully supported in their journey back to health and subsequently work.”