Merseyside Police Federation

19,443 UK police officers were signed off work due to stress, depression, anxiety or post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) in the last year, it can be revealed today.

This represents a rise of 9.5% from the previous year and the figure is a huge 209% higher than when Police Oracle first ran the survey 13 years ago.

Of the forces that provided figures to the Freedom of Information request both this and last year, 60% reported an increased number of officers being signed off for mental health reasons.

The highest number of absences were reported by the UK’s largest police forces – the Metropolitan Police (1,877), Police Scotland (1,414) and Greater Manchester Police (1,046) – but, surprisingly, the much smaller force of Devon and Cornwall Police reported 999 mental-health absences in 2025-26, up 173% on the previous year.

At Merseyside Police, the figure was up 236% to 639 absences in 2025-26. Northumbria Police (up 110%), Dorset Police (up 107%) and South Yorkshire Police (up 75%) were the other biggest risers.

These figures were released as the Government announced a £2.4 million funding package of support services, through the National Police Wellbeing Service, to help officers and staff with the psychological impact of working in traumatic environments.

As part of this, around 150,000 clinical psychological risk assessments and mental health checks will be available each year to officers and staff in operational roles. Forces will also roll out trauma-tracking devices to record officer and staff exposure to traumatic incidents.

And a new sleep, fatigue and recovery app, ResetU, will be made available to all forces. The funding will also support the continuation of the Mental Health Crisis Line (0300 131 2789), which officers and staff can call if they are feeling at breaking point or suicidal.

Crime and Policing Minister Sarah Jones said: “Our police officers and staff put their lives at risk and operate under immense pressure each and every day. They demonstrate exceptional courage and resilience to keep us safe, and it is crucial we protect them in return. As we deliver our reforms to policing, we will ensure that their wellbeing is prioritised, protected and never treated as an afterthought.”

The full article and analysis has been published in Police Oracle here https://www.policeoracle.com/article-library/almost-10-per-cent-more-officers-were-signed-off-work-in-2025-26-due-to-poor-mental-health/

The Merseyside Police contingent at the National Police Bravery Awards tonight.

A Merseyside Police sergeant who swam 150 metres into rough open water to save a woman from drowning in Liverpool Bay has been nominated for the National Police Bravery Awards.

Well done Sergeant David Hicks

The Awards are coming up this week with more than 100 officers being celebrated.

Congratulations to all colleagues being recognised.

https://polfed.org/news/police-federation-bravery-awards-2026/merseyside/

Remembering PC Raymond Davenport, of Merseyside Police, who died on duty on this day in 1981

Police officers will have serious concerns about whether the justice system is delivering meaningful consequences for those who assault emergency workers after recent which cases saw violent offenders released far earlier than their sentence indicated.

National Chair of the Police Federation, Tiff Lynch, said: “When police officers are left with life-changing injuries and lasting psychological trauma for simply doing their job, the public rightly expects meaningful consequences for those responsible. Officers' confidence in the justice system depends on knowing that there are significant consequences for those whose violence leaves our members injured and traumatised.”

For many officers, and members of the public, a prison sentence announced in court is often viewed as the moment justice has been delivered. However, while courts may impose what appear to be substantial custodial terms, the reality can be very different, leaving victims and their colleagues struggling to reconcile the seriousness of the offence with the outcome they ultimately see.

The latest concerns follow the release of Richard Quinn (after just 125 days in prison), who was sentenced to four years and three months for a violent assault on West Mercia Police officer PC Ryan Davis. The attack left Ryan with multiple broken bones and ongoing psychological trauma. Yet Quinn was released just months after sentencing, following the earlier release (after 82 days in a Youth Offenders Institution) of his son, Alex Quinn, who was also convicted for his role in the attack.

West Mercia Police Federation Chair Gareth Spreadbury said officers would view the decision with “anger, deep frustration and a strong sense of being let down by the system”.

“The attack on PC Ryan Davis was devastating and life-changing. Officers will find it extremely difficult to understand how someone responsible for such a serious assault can be back in the community so soon after sentencing.”

The concerns mirror those raised in Lancashire, where George Jacobs was released just 16 days after being sentenced to 20 months in prison for attacking PC Conor McIntyre (pictured) with a brick, leaving him severely concussed and suffering significant facial injuries.

For PC McIntyre, the decision was “a real kick in the teeth”.

“It has added insult to my injuries. This disgusting decision has given me no confidence in the justice system,” he said.

Lancashire Police Federation Chair Martin Midgley described the attack as “calculated and premeditated” and said there must be a clear message that assaults on police officers will not be tolerated.

Together, these cases highlight a concern increasingly voiced by officers: the gap between the sentence announced in court and the reality experienced by victims.

https://polfed.org/news/latest-news/2026/early-release-decisions-leave-officers-asking-what-message-does-this-send/