Almost 500 Police Scotland officers and staff currently on long-term sick leave

Daily Record

7 hours ago

The figures released under Freedom of Information come at a time of increasing violence towards officers.
Almost 500 police officers and civilian support staff are currently on long-term sick leave, according to a new report.
The figures released under Freedom of Information come at a time of increasing violence towards officers and claims of plummeting morale and mounting workloads leading to stress and other mental health problems.
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The Police Scotland report shows 340 cops and 143 office workers on long-term sick. Three cops have been off for more than three years. A further 16 have been absent for between two and three years and 48 absent for between one year and two years.
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The largest number – 151 cops and 54 civilian staff – have been off sick for between four months and a year.
David Kennedy, general secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, representing the rank-and-file, said members are at breaking point.
'We have been warning about this for a while. The numbers going off sick are only going to get worse.
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'The police service has got to do more to get them back to work. There's also no investment from the Scottish Government – they are not interested.'
Kennedy added: 'People are tired of their conditions. They are done in. They have had enough. Assaults are going through the roof.'
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Last June, Police Scotland numbers dropped to 16,207, the lowest since records began in 2007. In 2023-24, 12,141 officers took sick leave – about 75 per cent of the force strength.
Earlier this month it was revealed police are being assaulted on an almost hourly basis, with 7159 attacks last year – 425 more than in 2023.
Scottish Liberal Democrat justice spokesperson Liam McArthur added: 'The pressure-cooker conditions facing police officers are pushing too many to the brink. It's a vicious cycle because it stretches the officers who remain dangerously thin, making them more likely to leave as well.'
Police Scotland said: 'We have a range of mechanisms in place to support our employees who are absent from work.'
The Scottish Government said: 'Our continued investment has enabled Police Scotland to take on more recruits in the last financial year than at any time since 2013.'