Stress costs police 6,000 days off sick

Officers and staff at Staffordshire Police took 6,000 days off sick with stress and depression last year, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act reveal.

Broken bones and pulled muscles were among other ailments most likely to keep the region's bobbies off the beat. The figures show that Staffordshire Police's 3,308 staff and officers took 20,184 sick days - which is an average of more than six days per staff member.

However the totals are distorted by some staff taking lengthy absences.

Figures show that a combined total of almost 11,000 work days were lost to musculo-skeletal injuries, many to frontline police officers injured in the line of duty.

The force last year scrapped a gift voucher policy which saw £40,000 spent over five years to reward staff who took fewer than five days off sick each year.

But Caroline Coombe, senior manager of personnel services, said bosses remain dedicated to encouraging good attendance.

"Through the Managing Attendance policy we strive to improve our attendance levels and, in recent years, sickness rates have reduced considerably," she said.

"We continue to try to reduce our current rates which are as good as or better than many other public authorities."

On the level of stress, she added: "We provide a range of healthcare support to staff, including advice and guidance on dealing with stress. Support is also available from independent counselling services."

She added: "The duties of police officers are often particularly onerous and can, at times, be both dangerous and stressful."

West Midlands Police's 14,390 staff and officers clocked up 93,000 sickness-related absences.

Chief Inspector Matt Markham said: "We recognise the impact staff sickness has on the rest of the workforce, as well as on the communities it serves. We have mechanisms in place which help staff back to work as quickly and as safely as possible."