‘Sheer Pressure’ Leading To Policing Mental Health Crisis

Police officers have tragically taken their own lives due to the “sheer pressure” of the job, South Yorkshire Police Federation has warned.

Federation Chair Steve Kent said the plight in mental health among officers was a “ticking timebomb” for policing.

Figures revealed between 2011 and 2022, a total of 242 police officers and PCSOs in England and Wales took their own lives.

A further 80 former and serving police officers committed suicide between 2021 and 2024.

Steve said: “It is absolutely catastrophic to families, friends and colleagues when it happens, and the shockwaves go on for a long time.

“It does seem to be that there’s a disproportionate amount where it happens to our officers, and there needs to be real recognition as to what this is.”

Steve said lengthy misconduct proceedings, the “sheer pressure” of the work and the lack of time afforded to process trauma were all factors harming police mental health.

He praised the new Suicide Trauma Education Prevention (STEP) campaign raising awareness of the daily trauma being faced by officers.

Steve added: “We are a ticking timebomb for mental health in policing.

“This is sadly the extreme end, but it’s something that urgently needs awareness and urgently needs to be addressed.

“When you tell the public how many officers take their own lives, I think they’re absolutely shocked.”

Steve also warned that post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) among officers was not being dealt with until too late.

He said forces were good at reacting at things, but more proactive measures needed to be imposed.

Steve continued: “Sadly, a lot of the time, they’re already broken by the demands that are put on them and by what they’re seeing.

“The damage has almost been done and we’re just then frantically trying to repair it.

“There needs to be more awareness across the board to try and stop this, because it’s going to become an epidemic – there’s absolutely no doubt about it.”