Question to the Home Office:

To ask the Secretary of State for the Home Department, how many days were police officers absent from work as a result of mental health-related sickness in each of the last five years; and how that absence rate compares to the typical absence rate for mental health issues across all workplaces.

The Home Office collects and publishes information on the number of officers on long-term absence, as well as the number on adjusted or recuperative duties, annually in the ‘Police workforce, England and Wales’ statistical bulletin. While these figures include those on leave due to psychological conditions as well as physical injuries, data are not collected on the specific reason for the absence, so figures on the number of officers absent due to Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder are not available.

The Government has been clear about its commitment to support the mental and physical wellbeing of all police officers and staff and is working closely with police leaders to ensure this.

We have invested in programmes which offer help directly to officers and staff. This includes £7.5 million to fund the development of the National Police Wellbeing Service, which was launched in 2019. The Service is helping forces to identify where there is most risk of impacts on mental health, and developing work around building resilience, as well as supporting those who need it in response to traumatic events.

The Government has also accelerated work to introduce a Police Covenant, which will ensure our police get the support and protection they need. The Covenant will be enshrined in law, with provisions being brought forward later this session, and the Home Secretary will have a duty to report annually to Parliament on the work undertaken.

Our focus will be on health and wellbeing, physical protection and support for families. We are in no doubt that an area we must focus on is mental health support. We will continue to work closely with policing partners to ensure the Covenant has a lasting impact on both those who work, or have worked in policing.