“Significant effort” needed to monitor stressed officers

MANAGERS in South Yorkshire Police need to make a “significant effort” to monitor officer workloads to help reduce rising stress levels, the federation has said.

Neil Bowles, Federation chairman, said there had been a “big increase in reported sickness levels” in the force, and it was “due to stress”. It has been revealed that the country’s police officers had 250,000 days off last year due to stress-related illness.

That is a 15 per cent increase over the last three years

Mr Bowles said: “Stress is an issue in our force.

“Our occupational health department are under high demand for counselling services. It is just a natural occurrence of less staff doing more work.

“There needs to be a significant effort by management to monitor the work loads of their staff and the hours spent at work. We are moving towards that.

“The force can measure constables and sergeants time at work because they are entitled to overtime payments, but it is the inspectors and above that are subject to the unrecorded long hours culture.

“Long hours culture is not good for any of our members’ health.”

According to a further Freedom of Information Act request, 787 officers are currently signed off for stress across 35 forces in England and Wales.

A spokesman for the Police Federation of England and Wales said: “The unprecedented cuts to the police service have meant that officers are under more strain now than ever before, with 16,000 officers having been lost in the last three years.

“Our members are being asked to do more and more with fewer resources and while they have risen admirably to the challenge it is inevitable that the increased pressures they’re facing will have an impact on their health and wellbeing.

“The Police Federation is working closely with the Association of Chief Police Officers and the College of Policing on measures to combat officer stress and played a key role in the introduction of new flexible working guidelines.”

The Samaritans have highlighted signs that could show a colleague is feeling under pressure. These include irritableness, nervousness or drinking or smoking more than usual. If someone becomes withdrawn, loses interest in their appearance or is putting themselves down in a serious or jokey way, they might also be reaching out for help.

Officers who are feeling under high levels of stress can speak to Occupational Health at their force, their GP or call a helpline such as the Samaritans on 08457 909090.