It’s tough at the top: Senior officers suffer stress and depression

Up to half of senior police officers report suffering from stress or depression, brought about by working conditions, according to an internal survey.

Under-staffing, bullying chief constables and long working hours have been singled out as the major factors contributing to anxiety and depression in the workplace, according to the survey.

The survey of 800 superintendents and chief superintendents in England and Wales paints a picture of police forces ravaged by record levels of stress-related illnesses.

Nearly a quarter of those questioned rated their anxiety as moderate to severe, while a similar number reported suffering from depression as a result of the pressures of the job.

More than half of the senior officers questioned also complained of working 50- to 60-hour weeks, which the report said was a breach of European working-time directive laws.

And one third said they would rather use their holiday allowance than take an official sick day.

The findings of the report are said to have sent shockwaves through the senior command chain, and the issues highlighted are due to be raised with Sir Hugh Orde, the new head of the Association of Chief Police Officers (Acpo).

Superintendent Robin Jarman, a member of the national executive of the Police Superintendents’ Association (PSA), which commissioned the report, said the survey showed the situation was getting worse, not better.

He added: “It’s disappointing that all of our efforts [to encourage the police forces to take action] are not being listened to. It’s particularly sad because we are talking about officers who are loyal and committed to the police.”

Of the officers who took part in the survey, nearly 40 per cent complained that the attitudes of their senior management towards performance was ‘harsh and unhelpful’, and nearly a third said that this attitude amounted to ‘bullying behaviour’. Others said stress and depression could be triggered by the exposure to traumatic incidents they encountered during their work.

There were also worryingly high levels of demands placed on the officers’ daily workload. Nearly 40 per cent said they did not have enough resources or staff to do the job. And the vast majority said they found it difficult to balance the demands of work with their family lives.

The new figures for moderate or severe levels of anxiety symptoms are 6 per cent higher than they were three years ago, when the results of a similar survey were published.

Emma Donaldson-Fielder, the occupational psychologist who analysed the research, said: “The majority of respondents perceive everyone in their organisation to work long hours; working long hours is seen as a way to show you are performing well and that people feel they mustn’t be seen as fallible. We still need to convince people that a ‘persistent long hours’ culture is unhealthy and contrary to the European Working Time Directive, which is in place to protect staff.”

On behalf of ACPO, Vice-President Tim Hollis, Chief Constable of Humberside said:
“The Superintendents Association undertakes personal resilience surveys every three years, a move which I fully support as a means of gauging emerging issues for their members. As such if there are challenges to be discussed, ACPO would actively encourage a meeting with the Association to find a way forward.

“Unfortunately the issue of targets is something that frankly is not going to go away. Comparative crime statistics continue to feature significantly in the ongoing monitoring of police performance and I see little evidence that this will change in the near future. Indeed, as budgets get tighter, pressure on the service in relation to performance is likely to increase.

“High quality leadership training throughout the service is essential if we are to meet the complex demands made of us without people feeling poorly managed or led. For that reason, I welcome recent improvements in training across the ranks and the leadership within ACPO is keen to work with both the Superintendents Association and the Federation in addressing any issues that they have identified.”