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STV News
15 hours ago
- Health
- STV News
Growing mental health crisis among Scottish police officers, Labour warns
Labour has warned of a 'growing mental health crisis' among Scottish police officers, as figures show the number of officers taking time off because of psychological issues rose by more than 50% over the last three years. The figures, obtained by the party via a Freedom of Information request, show the number of officers off work because of anxiety, depression, stress or post-traumatic stress rose from 814 in 2021 to 1,236 in 2024, an increase of 52%. The figures also show the number of officers taking time off grew each year over the period, with 1,024 in 2022 and 1,102 in 2023. The party said the figures showed officers are at 'breaking point' and called on the government to address the 'mounting pressures' facing officers. Scottish Labour Justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'It's clear police in Scotland are at breaking point after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect. 'We owe it to police officers to ensure they have the support they need while they work to keep our communities safe, but it's clear that is not the case under the SNP. 'The SNP has let police officer numbers collapse over the last five years, piling pressure on remaining officers and threatening to undermine public safety. 'The SNP must wake up to this growing mental health crisis and work with Police Scotland to support officers struggling with stress, trauma or poor mental health. 'Dealing with this crisis is vital to keeping police officers in work and on duty at a time when we need visible officers in communities. 'Police officers cannot keep bearing the brunt of SNP failure – more must be done to support police and the vital work they do.' Earlier this year it was reported that the number of days taken off by police officers and staff suffering from mental ill health rose from 63,797 in 2019/20 to 96,509 in 2023/24, a 51.3% rise Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: 'The health and welfare of our officers and staff remains one of Police Scotland's highest priorities with enhanced provisions from both our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes. 'This will be further enhanced through the implementation of our new HR structure with increased resource within our Health and Wellbeing team. 'We also have a range of mechanisms in place to support our employees who are absent from work for any reason. 'We continue to work with our occupational health provider to support police officers and staff in their journey back to health and, subsequently, to work.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Police officers and staff do a challenging job and we have welcomed the Chief Constable's commitment to workforce wellbeing. 'Staff and officers can access a range of services to support their physical and mental wellbeing. 'This includes access to a 24/7 employee assistance programme, and direct access to occupational health services. 'We are investing a record £1.64bn for policing in 2025-26, an increase of £90m on 2024-25, and Police Scotland took on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with more intakes planned this year.' Get all the latest news from around the country Follow STV News Scan the QR code on your mobile device for all the latest news from around the country
Daily Record
18 hours ago
- Politics
- Daily Record
Police officers at 'breaking point' after surge in mental health and stress absences
Police officers are at 'breaking point' after stress and mental health absences soared by over 50%. The figures, covering the last three years, show a huge rise in the number of cops off work because of psychological issues. According to stats uncovered by Labour, the number rose from 814 in 2021 to 1,236 last year, an increase of 52%. Labour MSP Pauline McNeill said: 'It's clear police in Scotland are at breaking point after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect. 'We owe it to police officers to ensure they have the support they need while they work to keep our communities safe, but it's clear that is not the case under the SNP. 'The SNP has let police officer numbers collapse over the last five years, piling pressure on remaining officers and threatening to undermine public safety." She added: 'The SNP must wake up to this growing mental health crisis and work with Police Scotland to support officers struggling with stress, trauma or poor mental health. ' Police officers cannot keep bearing the brunt of SNP failure – more must be done to support police and the vital work they do.' David Kennedy, General Secretary of the Scottish Police Federation, said 'Police officer numbers have collapsed over the last five years, creating a dangerous shortage of officers on our streets and putting public safety at risk. 'This chronic understaffing is having a devastating impact not only on the service Police Scotland can deliver, but also on the officers themselves—piling unmanageable workloads and stress onto those who remain. 'What doesn't help is senior police leaders continually insisting that the service can cope when it can't—the service may be surviving, but those it impacts are suffering. We urgently need action to reverse this decline, ensure visible policing in our communities, and protect the public from the consequences of this mismanagement.' Alan Speirs, Deputy Chief Constable at Police Scotland, said: "The health and welfare of our officers and staff remains one of Police Scotland's highest priorities with enhanced provisions from both our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes. 'This will be further enhanced through the implementation of our new HR structure with increased resource within our Health and Wellbeing team. 'We also have a range of mechanisms in place to support our employees who are absent from work for any reason. 'We continue to work with our occupational health provider to support police officers and staff in their journey back to health and, subsequently, to work.' A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Police officers and staff do a challenging job and we have welcomed the Chief Constable's commitment to workforce wellbeing. 'Staff and officers can access a range of services to support their physical and mental wellbeing. This includes access to a 24/7 employee assistance programme, and direct access to occupational health services. 'We are investing a record £1.64 billion for policing in 2025-26 – an increase of £90 million on 2024-25 – and Police Scotland took on more recruits in 2024-25 than at any time since 2013, with more intakes planned this year.'
The Herald Scotland
a day ago
- Health
- The Herald Scotland
Police Scotland mental health absences rise by 52%
They also show the number of officers taking time off grew each year over the period, with 1,024 in 2022 and 1,102 in 2023. The party said the figures showed officers are at 'breaking point' and called on the Scottish Government to address the 'mounting pressures' facing police. READ MORE Scottish Labour justice spokesperson Pauline McNeill said: 'It's clear police in Scotland are at breaking point after years of SNP mismanagement and neglect. 'We owe it to police officers to ensure they have the support they need while they work to keep our communities safe, but it's clear that is not the case under the SNP. 'The SNP has let police officer numbers collapse over the last five years, piling pressure on remaining officers and threatening to undermine public safety. 'The SNP must wake up to this growing mental health crisis and work with Police Scotland to support officers struggling with stress, trauma or poor mental health. 'Dealing with this crisis is vital to keeping police officers in work and on duty at a time when we need visible officers in communities. 'Police officers cannot keep bearing the brunt of SNP failure — more must be done to support police and the vital work they do.' Pauline McNeill says officers aren't getting the support they need (Image: PA) Earlier this year it was reported that the number of days taken off by police officers and staff suffering from mental ill health rose from 63,797 in 2019/20 to 96,509 in 2023/24 — a 51.3% rise. Deputy Chief Constable Alan Speirs said: 'The health and welfare of our officers and staff remains one of Police Scotland's highest priorities, with enhanced provisions from both our Employee Assistance and Your Wellbeing Matters programmes. 'This will be further enhanced through the implementation of our new HR structure, with increased resource within our Health and Wellbeing team. 'We also have a range of mechanisms in place to support our employees who are absent from work for any reason. 'We continue to work with our occupational health provider to support police officers and staff in their journey back to health and, subsequently, to work.' READ MORE A Scottish Government spokesperson said: 'Police officers and staff do a challenging job and we have welcomed the Chief Constable's commitment to workforce wellbeing. 'Staff and officers can access a range of services to support their physical and mental wellbeing. 'This includes access to a 24/7 employee assistance programme, and direct access to occupational health services. 'We are investing a record £1.64 billion for policing in 2025–26, an increase of £90 million on 2024–25, and Police Scotland took on more recruits in 2024–25 than at any time since 2013, with more intakes planned this year.'
