FOUR in ten custody sergeants have suffered anxiety or depression as a result of their job, a survey has revealed.<\/p>\n
And nearly 70 per cent say they want to leave the role \u2013 with a further half saying the custody sergeant job makes them want to quit policing. The figures were revealed in a two-year survey of officers by the University of Nottingham which saw 1,677 officers from around the country quizzed on their role over a two-year period.<\/p>\n
45 per cent of custody officers said they wanted to leave the police service altogether, while 26 per cent said they wanted to leave custody but remain as an officer.<\/p>\n
Respondents told the survey that their wellbeing was affected by understaffing, the intense pace of work, inadequate facilities for breaks, irregular breaks and the high pressure of the job.<\/p>\n
They also said senior managers were unable or unwilling to understand the pressures of their work.<\/p>\n
60 per cent of the respondents said they had experienced \u201cburn out\u201d, thanks to their job.<\/p>\n
Andy Ward, the Police Federation\u2019s joint custody lead, told the Fed\u2019s Police magazine: \u201cCustody has traditionally been a poor relation in terms of the police service.<\/p>\n
\u201cOther areas of policing, such as firearms, rightly, are the subject of significant and ongoing investment in terms of staff, equipment and training, but on a day-to-day basis, custody actually carries a higher risk for forces, our members and those that we come into contact with.<\/p>\n
\u201cSince the austerity cuts began, custody suites have been hit disproportionately across the country with the majority of forces reducing the number of qualified custody sergeants in their suites and rationalising the number of custody sites they operate.<\/p>\n
\u201cThe drive to do more in custody with inappropriate resources is having a massive impact on the stress levels being experienced by custody sergeants.\u201d<\/p>\n
Neil Bowles, chairman of South Yorkshire Police Federation, said: \u201cThey\u2019ve got to be fully supported and trained and given enough staff – both fellow sergeants and detention officers – to cope with the demand.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe\u2019ve often questioned whether a custody sergeant gets sufficient breaks or does he or she work straight through? The death in contact scenario is one of the biggest risks any officer faces – is the force supporting those officers sufficiently?\u201d<\/p>\n
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