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.
“They’re dealing with more trauma and violent scenes without any break. There’s a lack of support.”
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, 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.
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, 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.
