Rank and file police officers in Bedfordshire are severely affected by the stress of the job, with many suffering from poor psychological wellbeing.
This is the reality that came out following further analysis on results from a survey into police officer demand, capacity and welfare conducted by the Police Federation of England and Wales last year.
A total of 231 or 21 per cent of Bedfordshire officers responded to the survey.
Seventy per cent of respondents from the Force said their workload is currently too high, compared to a national average of 66 per cent.
And 27 per cent of respondents said they often or always have unachievable deadlines, with 43 per cent saying they have to neglect some tasks because they have too much to do.
Of particular concern is the fact that 40 per cent of officers from Bedfordshire said they had previously sought help for feelings of stress, low mood, anxiety or other difficulties with their mental health and wellbeing, of which 51 per cent had done so within the past year.
Jim Mallen, chairman of Bedfordshire Police Federation, said: “This survey by the national Federation has thrown up some realities.
“Workloads are too high, deadlines are unachievable and the welfare of our officers is suffering, with some not disclosing stress and anxiety, or other mental health concerns for fear of how they would be treated or colleagues finding out.
“This survey backs up what we have been saying for a while, yet still no one appears to be listening. The issues we have here in Bedfordshire are replicated across the country. We need change.”
Among the findings nationally, 33 per cent of officers have been the recipient of an unarmed physical attack at least once per month over the last year and, 36 per cent of officers reported having been attacked with a weapon at least once in the last year.
More than 70 per cent said their team/unit had a minimum officer staffing level and 53 per cent of officers reported that were ‘never’ or ‘rarely’ able to take their full rest break entitlement.
