As a new programme is launched to help police officers with poor sleep and fatigue, South Yorkshire Police Federation has said that long hours and lack of resourcing need to be tackled too.<\/p>\n
A sleep study piloted by Merseyside Police and Liverpool John Moores University has seen officers wearing a BioStrap device for 120 days to measure heart rate variability, respiratory rates, sleep time and sleep type. The study is now being rolled out to 27 forces, so more officers have a better idea about their tiredness and recovery rates.<\/p>\n
South Yorkshire Police Federation Chair Steve Kent said: \u201cOfficers need to be well-rested \u2013 we are really concerned about officers\u2019 fatigue levels, especially when it comes to driving police cars and dealing with critical roles.<\/p>\n
\u201cBut it comes back to resourcing. The force sometimes relies on officers working long hours to deal with incidents and, for example, the complex cases that our detectives are dealing with.<\/p>\n
\u201cOfficers are tired because they\u2019re having to work longer hours, and this is a massive problem because working shifts as well as long hours can have adverse long-term effects on people\u2019s health.<\/p>\n
\u201cWe need investment in proper workplace Occupational Health to monitor this more locally, and we need to make sure that officers get the opportunity to take their leave, which they can\u2019t always get because of staffing levels.\u201d<\/p>\n