Martin Shipton
A close relative of a serving police officer has claimed that intolerable work pressures are creating serious mental health problems for people in the force and that remedial action should be taken.
In an email to Nation.Cymru, the family member, who does not want to be identified, said: “I am contacting you to share details regarding a matter of public interest involving South Wales Police. I believe it aligns with work regarding institutional accountability and public safety.
“Front-line officers are being burnt out because they have large workloads, are not being allowed to have regular breaks, are not able to have healthy meals and are having their rest days cancelled, while shifts are long and often officers do not have enough rest before their next shift.
“Specially trained officers are taken back to front-line policing because officers are either leaving the job or going sick, often for six months at a time. This means their workload is given to other officers who already have full workloads, leading to the same things happening again, with burnt-out police officers who will very often suffer serious mental health problems. The welfare officers and others in the field of helping struggling officers are doing their best, but they too are under strain.
“The length of time some officers are suspended is 18 months to two years. In this time, we see more officers attempting to take their own lives or sadly succeeding in taking their own lives. South Wales Police at this time do not have to keep account of these officers’ deaths. I am bringing this to your attention because it highlights a failure to safeguard our officers. I believe that those at the top in this two-tier policing should be held to account.
“In my opinion, those at the top have all the responsibility but never face accountability. I have personally witnessed how this affects officers in the job.”
The sender of the email confirmed to Nation.Cymru that she was a close relative of someone personally affected by the pressures she described.
‘Challenging’
A spokesperson for South Wales Police responded: “Policing is a challenging and demanding role, and we recognise the considerable pressures our officers and staff face every day as they work to keep our communities safe. It requires a careful balancing of operational pressures and risk against the finite number of officers and staff available.
“Like forces across the country, we are operating within a very challenging financial environment. Securing funding to provide the effective police service residents want and deserve is an ongoing discussion.
“This means making careful decisions about our resources and prioritising the areas of greatest threat, risk, harm and vulnerability while continuing to provide an effective 24/7 emergency service to our communities.
“Occasionally, officers and staff are redeployed from specialist roles to provide capacity and resilience. Where this is required, safeguards are put in place to ensure our specialist functions are maintained. We also consult with the Police Federation and unions to ensure officers and staff are provided with support and guidance.
“From a wellbeing point of view, a variety of 24/7 support is available to officers and staff to help them deal with the pressures of their duties and to help them return to work following sickness.
“We also recognise the impact officer suspensions can have on available capacity, and we welcomed the launch of an end-to-end review of the police misconduct and accountability system, which was announced by the Home Office in July. Reforming the police accountability system will ensure victims receive swifter justice, officers who have no place in policing are removed, and officers who are found to have no case to answer can return to work faster.
“We remain committed to supporting our officers and staff while ensuring we have the resources in place to protect and serve our communities. We are grateful to our people for the professionalism and commitment they show, often in exceptionally challenging circumstances.”
Professional standards
A South Wales Police source said: “We recognise the importance of conducting professional standards investigations thoroughly, fairly and as expeditiously as possible.
“While our standards department is responsible for the investigation phase, there are a number of factors outside the direct control of investigators that can influence the overall lifecycle of a case, including parallel criminal investigations, criminal court proceedings, regulatory requirements, and the availability of Legally Qualified Persons (LQPs) and counsel.”
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