Trends in absences owing to psychological illnesses in ‘frontline’ and ‘response’ officers in England and Wales

Bibliographic Data

ID21177326
AuthorsEmily Quin (University of Cambridge, corresponding author)
Year2024
Pages1-9
Publication date2024-07-12
Peer ReviewedYes
Open AccessYes
TypeARTICLE
VenuePolice Practice and Research (JOURNAL)
Journal identifiersISSN: 1561-4263 • E-ISSN: 1477-271X
PublisherInforma UK Limited (PUBLISHER • GB)
DOI10.1080/15614263.2024.2375500
OpenAlexW4400587844
LanguageEN
Citations received1
References cited12

In recent years, the psychological impact associated with ‘being a police officer’ has been brought into sharp focus. However, little has been reported on absences due to psychological illness, specifically in functions more frequently exposed to Potentially Traumatic Events (PTEs). This paper presents data collected from 23 territorial Forces in England and Wales covering 2019–2023 on ‘Frontline’ and ‘Response’ officer absence(s) attributed to psychological illness(es). The findings show overall rates of increase in the mean (40%), minimum (450%), and maximum (46%) rates of officer absence owing to psychological illnesses – at least double that of sickness absences. This paper also reports on Occupational Health Referrals (OHR) with one Force reporting a 247% rate of increase in referrals for ‘Response’ officers due to psychological illness. The paper concludes by emphasising the urgent need for attention and exploration into the causes of increased psychological illness before officer absences become unsustainable

New england · Political science · Child Abuse and Trauma · Clinical Psychology · Law · Migration, Health and Trauma · Posttraumatic Stress Disorder Research · Psychology · Social Psychology

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