The Metropolitan Police officers have collectively taken over 133,000 sick days attributed to mental health concerns, with many citing overwhelming workloads and exposure to traumatic incidents as contributing factors.
According to a report released by Scotland Yard, 1,998 officers were responsible for 133,565 recorded absences due to mental health issues, averaging slightly more than two months per officer.
Mental health challenges emerged as the leading cause of these absences, with approximately 1,272 officers on leave for more than 28 days due to related issues.
This revelation coincides with a legal case involving former police officer Kirstie Coy-Martin, 52, who is pursuing a £1 million compensation claim. She alleges she developed a phobia of police stations after being exposed to distressing incidents involving child abuse and fatalities.
Coy-Martin contends that her mental well-being deteriorated significantly over years of investigating crimes against children, which included witnessing traumatic scenes of abuse and child deaths.
Ultimately, she claims that her mental state became so precarious that the mere directive to report to a police station would trigger panic attacks.
Paula Dodds, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, representing 30,000 officers in London, said chief officers needed to do more to support those who were struggling with poor mental health.
Mrs Dodds added: ‘Quite frankly, the support that officers get is not good enough. The provisions currently in place don’t help officers – we see an average of 400-600 traumatic events in our careers, and there’s no support for that.
Poor mental health was the most prominent reason, as around 1,272 of those absent with poor mental health were at home for longer than 28 days
‘Officers need regular screening to make sure they are in a good place mentally. There needs to be trauma training as well, so that every officer can identify if their colleagues are suffering and where they can be signposted to. Because what we can’t have is officers considering suicide. It’s unacceptable.
‘Officers are leaving policing because they can’t take it any more. Which then means those officers that remain have an increased workload and witness more trauma.
‘Chief officers need to be held to account and they need to do more. They rely on the Federation or the NHS to support officers and get them through their waiting lists. And it’s just not acceptable.’
Around 1,272 of those absent with poor mental health were at home for longer than 28 days.
7,329 shifts were lost to stress, 4,117 to depression and anxiety, 1,599 to unspecified psychological disorders, 1,049 to trauma and 508 to fatigue.
Hundreds of other officers had been signed off for conditions such cancer, stroke, cardiac complaints, assault injuries, Covid-19 and pregnancy.
140 officers took time off for headaches and migraines – two of them for more than a month.
According to a recent pay and morale survey, 93 per cent of staff experiencing stress, anxiety, low mood, or other wellbeing challenges reported that work was the cause or a contributing factor.
Paula Dodds, Chair of the Metropolitan Police Federation, said chief officers needed to do more to support those who were struggling with poor mental health
High workloads (60 per cent) and poor work–life balance (51 per cent) were most frequently identified.
A Channel 4 news investigation four months ago into the police mental health crisis reported that at least 100 police officers and staff have taken their own lives in three years, with male officers accounting for the vast majority of deaths.
The investigation found that officers say they are expected to absorb trauma while projecting resilience, often with little consistent support.
The Police Federation says more than half of officer suicides identified since 2022 involved individuals under investigation at the time.
Families and support workers warn that drawn-out and highly public misconduct processes can push already vulnerable officers into crisis.
Campaigners believe that although rooting out corrupt and dangerous officers is widely seen as essential, restoring public confidence should not come at the cost of officers’ mental health.
More than 17,700 police officers across the UK were signed off for mental health reasons in 2024–25, marking a 22% rise on the previous year and a staggering 182% increase since the first survey 12 years ago.
Among the 45 forces that reported figures in both years, nearly three-quarters reported increases in mental health-related absences.
Police Scotland recorded 1,203 absences, while Greater Manchester Police and West Midlands Police reported 1,050 and 1,162 respectively.
