Nearly 580 Northumbria police officers were on sick leave due to mental health reasons
Data obtained shows from the start of 2023 through to November last year, those on the front line were signed off for reasons such as stress, anxiety and depression
As part of our investigation, we have found that 578 Northumbria police officers were on sick leave due to mental health reasons.
The data we obtained shows from the start of 2023 through to the start of November last year, those on the front line were signed off for reasons such as stress, anxiety and depression.
Nick Munnelly, chair of Northumbria police federation, said: "Unfortunately, it comes as no surprise. If you think about the demands across policing nowadays, it's no wonder that a lot of our officers suffer from poor health, particularly mental health. Especially when you think about those wider demands in policing nowadays.
"When our colleagues go to work their personal safety is at risk. Every time they go out to work, whether they put a uniform on or work in other roles where they don't necessarily wear a uniform, there is a lot of risk attached to policing, given what they're expected to do.
"Police officers often deal with trauma. They deal with fatalities across the force and across the country, they witness and have to deal with horrific abuse. They're left to support the victims of serious crimes. It comes as no surprise that our colleagues find it incredibly difficult sometimes to deal with that burden, that toil.
"There is support available within the force and what I would say is that we're front and centre of that support as a local Police Federation. We proactively engage with our members and colleagues across the force, especially when they're poorly.
"It starts with a very fundamental solution, and that would be greater resources in policing across the police. In Northumbria Police, bearing in mind we have fewer numbers now than what we did in 2007, think about all the demands and all the extra expectations and responsibilities of our colleagues.
"The PFEW pay morale survey shows that 81% of our colleagues experienced feelings of stress, low mood anxiety, or difficulties with their health and well-being over the last 12 months.
"It's no wonder that our colleagues who are in those public facing roles, who are often at the coal face in dealing with the risk, the perpetual demands, feel that toil on them individually and in fact, I am aware that 38% of our colleagues used annual leave to take time off due to psychological health issues."