The Home Office spent a six-figure sum on mental health support for frontline Border Force officers after mental health-related absences for staff across the agency increased by 45% as deaths in the Channel rose, a freedom of information request has revealed.
Border Force staff were off on average for more than two days a year for reasons related to mental health between the springs of 2021 and 2023, the figures show, up from 1.4 days between spring 2020 and 2021.
From spring 2020 to spring 2021, 13,005 working days were lost among the Border Force’s 9,165 staff because of absences related to mental health. Between spring 2022 and spring 2023, the number of staff in the agency jumped to 15,485. Among them, 31,801 working days were lost because of mental-health sick days.
The rise in absences came as the number of boats crossing the Channel reached record highs and the number of deaths increased sharply. Since 2021, 59 people have died attempting the crossing.
In November 2021, a dinghy carrying 30 people sank, killing 27 of those onboard, including a five-year-old girl and her teenage siblings. It was the deadliest maritime disaster in the Channel for more than 30 years. Last weekend, five people died trying to board small boats heading to the UK from France.
In the summer of 2023, the Home Office awarded a contract worth £133,000 to the Police Treatment Centres, an external charity that provides “intensive, police-specific physiotherapy and rehabilitation, for injured and ill police officers”.
The treatment centres provided facilities to send staff to residential rehabilitation for up to two weeks, inclusive of accommodation and food, physiotherapy, psychological assessment and treatment services for frontline officers.
Last year, there were almost 30,000 small boat crossings. This followed on from a record year of crossings in 2022, when almost 46,000 small boats crossed the Channel.
The year-long contract does not state whether there is a limit on how many people would be able to take advantage of the rehabilitation facilities.
The freedom of information data comes after recent criticism of the government from the independent chief inspector of borders and immigration, David Neal, over its lack of support for the Border Force. Neal pointed to widespread disaffection within the organisation in his report to the home secretary.
Last year, the Guardian revealed that the Home Office was providing border officers with mental health workshops dealing with the small boats issue.
The Public and Commercial Services Union (PCS), which represents government workers, said these workshops were offered after fellow trained officers carried out trauma assessments on staff. The assessment is offered to those involved in potentially traumatic critical incidents.
Last October, when an immigration centre in Dover was petrol-bombed, the PCS said all staff involved in the incident were offered the assessment.
In a letter sent to the Home Office permanent secretary, Matthew Rycroft, last year, the PCS officials James Cox and Peter Wright wrote that promises to “stop the boats” and describing Channel crossings as an “invasion” had consequences for people working in processing centres.
“These are consequences which potentially put our members at risk,” the letter said.
“There have been demonstrations and some violence around hotels housing migrants. Furthermore, there was the shocking case of the firebombing of the migrant arrival site last year.”
A Home Office spokesperson said: “Border Force officers work tirelessly day in, day out to protect our borders and keep the public safe.
“We recognise that being a Border Force officer is a demanding role. That is why we have introduced additional mental health support to ensure our officers are supported if needed.”
