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New survey reveals one
in five officers has PTSD 73 per cent of
those with PTSD
One in five police officers is suffering from thoughts, let alone come to terms with
Post-Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), some of the horrendous things they have
according to the results of a new survey. seen. or CPTSD will be
And Rich Cooke, chair of West Midlands “The Government needs to take notice
Police Federation, believes the Home Office of these findings and act by re-investing in unaware they
and police leaders, now need to act on the policing and in police officers.”
findings before more officers start to suffer. Policing: The Job and The Life is a have it
“Police officers join the Force to serve survey of 17,000 police officers from 47
and protect their communities,” said Rich forces in the United Kingdom, carried out
when the survey results were announced. by Cambridge University from October to
“But, in return, they should be December last year with funding from
protected and supported themselves. All Police Care UK. The results show:
too often, police officers are succumbing to l 21 per cent of police officers who
the pressures of the job and the traumatic responded reported symptoms l 69 per cent of officers feel trauma is not
incidents they deal with. consistent with PTSD or the more severe well managed in their force
“I believe their mental health and Complex PTSD (CPTSD) l 93 still go to work even when suffering
wellbeing has increasingly suffered since l 73 per cent of those with PTSD or CPTSD from a work-related psychological issue.
the cuts to policing. With fewer officers to will be unaware they have it The survey’s findings echo the Police
meet the demand, they are being run l 66 per cent of those reported a Federation’s latest Demand, Capacity and
ragged, trying to maintain an effective psychological or mental health issue Welfare Survey which also found evidence of
policing service for their communities but which they felt was a direct result of widespread, repeated exposure to trauma
barely having time to process their police work within the police workforce.
www.polfed.org/westmids federation June/July 2019 15
