More police officers off sick due to stress in Staffordshire
Hundreds of Staffordshire police officers have taken time off for stress, anxiety and depression.
Figures showed the number of officers forced to take time away from the job because of mental health problems had risen over the last three years.
Some 68 officers took time off with stress in 2018/19. While that total was below the 77 from 2017/18 it was higher than both years between 2015 and 2017 when 32 and 46 were off work.
Figures also showed the number of officers struggling with anxiety had risen every year since 2015/16, from 13 to 32 in 2018/19.
There have been 69 cases of depression in the force since 2014/15, though the yearly rate has remained roughly the same. Six officers also took time off for post-traumatic stress.
Physical injuries
It was also revealed how many police officers had suffered physical injuries on the job. A total of 1,240 were hurt since 2014, though the vast majority of these were classed as slight injuries. Twenty sustained serious injuries between 2014 and 2018.
Pc Claire Bond was seriously hurt when she was mowed down by a driver fleeing from a patrol car in Stafford in September 2018. The officer said she feared for her life during the terrifying attack, which led to driver Gurajdeep Malhi being locked up for 12 years.
A Staffordshire Police spokeswoman said: "We recognise that the uniquely challenging work of police officers and staff can, in some cases, impact on their personal wellbeing and mental health.
“We take our duty of care very seriously and the force has been proactive in how it responds to the increase in mental health issues including investing heavily in occupational health and bringing additional specialist training in house, especially for trauma and post-traumatic stress disorder.
“The increase reflects the national picture and some of that is down to increasing demand, pressure on resources and the changing nature of crime."
