Policing’s Mental Health Crisis

Policing is on the cusp of a mental health crisis, the Chair of South Yorkshire Police Federation has said.

Steve Kent was speaking after 67% of officers reported physical exhaustion and 58% reported emotional exhaustion in Oscar Kilo’s 2025 National Police Wellbeing Survey. One in three police officers and staff also said they came to work when they didn’t feel well enough to perform their duties.

Steve said: “Sadly, these figures don’t surprise me. Our officers across the force are worn out. I’ve got real concerns about our traffic officers with what they’re seeing, day in and day out. Many response officers and detectives are facing huge demands too; I think a lot of these people are at breaking point.

“I also see a lot of anxiety among officers. There’s a culture of fear and a constant negativity about policing in the media, which isn’t a true reflection of what happens.

“We’re on the cusp of a mental health crisis in policing, and I think we need to talk about this at a national level and try to get the narrative changed.”

Steve added that it was good that people were talking about their mental health more, and he welcomed the new 24/7 Mental Health Crisis Line. But he said: “Some officers are still reluctant to talk about their mental health…I would say most officers are dealing with anxiety or stress at work.”

He backed the idea of an annual mental health MOT for all officers, adding: “Sadly, by the time people come to our office or the force to see a counsellor, in a lot of cases they are already broken.”