Concerns rise over police sickness rate

Sep 7 2009 by Tom Mullen, The Journal

ELEVEN North East police officers are taking sick leave every day.

Officers from Northumbria Police and Durham Constabulary took 8,143 days of sick leave in two years, an investigation has revealed.

Sick leave was given for serious illness including cancer and heart problems, but a large number are for minor ailments, including 43 officers staying at home with headaches and 11 with indigestion over the last two years.

It means an average of 11 officers are staying off work every day, figures obtained under the Freedom of Information Act show.

One officer took time off with an unspecified drink or drugs problem, and another was taken ill with malaria.

But the data has mostly prompted concern about the stresses of police work, with some 480 days taken off work due to stress, anxiety, depression and post traumatic stress disorder.

And 37 had to take time off due to head or facial injuries suffered while carrying out their duties.

Russ Watson, chairman of Northumbria Police Federation, said: “I have concerns we are not doing enough to address the underlying causes of work-related stress.

“There are a lot of things that cause stress in the job we do.